Campaign craziness, countless amounts of candidates, news channels cluttered with incessant speeches and commercials, and carpools galore heading to and from the polls, there is no doubt that Election Day 2012 was one of extreme chaos.
College students aplenty headed to the polls with many excited about their first chance at voting for a United States president, as well as all of the other state and local candidates. Once it was over, life seemingly went back to normal.
Though this year’s Election Day was relatively more on the tame side, it is still one of importance for many college students who are looking to vote, particularly in their local areas.
Though the voting portion of elections is usually easy for most students who have a set mind about who they would like to see win, the difficulty for them resides in registering to vote.
According to information released by MSUSA (Minnesota State University Student Association) and shared by the Southwest Minnesota State University Student Senate, students will be able to register to vote online for future elections and update any information in existing registration forms.
This was “an application developed by the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State” and can be accessed at mnvotes.org according to the news release.
The news release states that it was a “move that made sense” due to most college students using the Internet for everything, from classes to paying bills. Why shouldn’t voting registration be just as easy for them?
However, this isn’t just a move made for the college student. Anyone can register to vote online.
According to the news release, “online applications will go through the same verification process as paper registrations” and when approved, they will be added to the voting roster.
Though this is a good way for students to register sooner, it is not mandatory. Registration can be done at the polls on Election Days.
Though another Election Day has come and gone, this new step in the voting process will be one that benefits everyone, especially college students, in future elections to come.