In honor of National Voter Registration Day Tuesday, ETSU Votes will hold two weeks of events starting Monday in what Student Government Association Vice President Seth Manning calls the “homestretch” of voter registration.
These events include seven different voter registration drives. Three be will be held on campus – one Tuesday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the Basler Center for Physical Activity, and the other two on the first floor of the D.P. Culp Student Center, Thursday from 12 to 3 p.m. and Sept. 30 from 10 a.m. to noon. The other four will be Election 101 Zoom webinars – Monday at 5 p.m., Wednesday at 11 a.m., Sept. 28 at 1 p.m. and Oct. 1 at 8 p.m.– for people who feel more comfortable attending virtually or do not live on campus. These will include more in-depth voter education pieces.
“We’re very excited because voter registration, at least in Tennessee, ends on Oct. 5,” Manning said. “So, this is something that, you know, we’re in the homestretch as far as voter registration is concerned, and so these are really two of the biggest weeks for ETSU Votes outside of the election itself.”
For the in-person drives, Manning said staff members will adhere to the university’s COVID-19 policies, including mask and social distancing guidelines. They will also follow the policy prohibiting indoor gatherings of more than 15 people to keep groups small and the possibility of transmission low.
“We do want to offer at least a little bit of a face to face experience for students who might feel more comfortable that way,” Manning said. “Especially when it comes to voter registration, which can sometimes be a bit of a taxing process, you might know specific questions that you want to point to on the form, and Zoom isn’t always the best for that. It can be done, but it [offering in-person events] just gives students more options.”
Also included in the two weeks of events is ETSU Votes’ regularly scheduled “Tuesday Talks” series. This Tuesday, National Voter Registration Day, the topic is “Are Voting Rights Under Assault?” and will be led by Andrew Battista, ETSU political science department coordinator. The Sept. 29 “Tuesday Talks” – “Debate Night in America” – will entail pre-debate discussion of what people want to see and predictions for the first presidential debate set to take place that night.
After these two weeks and before the election, ETSU Votes wants to bring in a guest speaker to discuss voting and civic engagement. The guest speaker has not yet been confirmed. On Oct. 13, they plan to have a forum bringing together local officials from the Democratic and Republican parties, and possibly some of the minor parties. They also want to hold an election night watch party Nov. 3.
“I think a lot of people are going to be stressed on election night,” Manning said. “And we might not even know who wins on election night. I think that’s one thing we really want to convey to students and prepare them for is we may go several days or even weeks without knowing who the next president of the United States is going to be just simply because of all these absentee ballots that are going to take time to count. And so, making sure that people have a venue to express their fears, to express their concerns.”
Manning noted that this election season will be different and more complicated due to COVID-19. He wants ETSU Votes to be a resource for students to learn about all the ways they can vote, including the ability to register or re-register to vote using their university address and P.O. Box number. They also want to inform students about absentee ballot requirements in some states regarding COVID-19.
“I just want students to know that we’re here to assist them in any capacity,” Manning said. “Getting registered, getting educated, knowing how they can vote, knowing when to vote. We’re here for it all.”
For more information about ETSU Votes and their upcoming events, email etsuvotes@etsu.edu, or visit https://www.etsu.edu/students/sao/organizations/civicengagement/voterregistration.php.
