Just last Wednesday, a system was launched that allows Californians to register to vote online for the first time. Anyone who cares about hearing the voices of young people in our democracy should celebrate this action.
Online registration will make voting more accessible for everyone. Youth, however, will likely see the biggest impact. With the ability to register to vote right from our dorm rooms and apartments, online registration will make it much easier for young people who spend so much of our day on computers to make sure we can cast a ballot on Election Day. Online registration will also help cut down on mistakes that can invalidate registration forms. Paper registration forms are complicated and easy to misunderstand. Just one mistake can sometimes invalidate a whole form. A computerized system will help clarify what information is needed. Finally, online registration will also save our state money. Enormous resources go into databasing forms that will be saved when online registration delivers voter information in electronic form.
The importance of making the voting process easier and more accessible for young people cannot be overstated. College students care about the future of our country and our state and we are invested in voting because the decisions we make in this, and upcoming elections will determine the future we will live in.
The California Student Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) New Voters Project is America’s oldest and largest nonpartisan, on-the-ground young voter mobilization project. For 25 years, we have worked to ensure that the voices of students are heard on Election Day.
To make sure that young people use online registration and maximize youth turnout at the polls, we’re working with the ASUC Vote Coalition on campus — a partnership of groups such as ASUC, Voto Latino, Cal Berkeley Democrats and Common Cause, to promote online registration.
Students can register to vote online at the easy-to-use website californiastudentvote.org. A tool on the website, developed jointly by CALPIRG New Voters Project, the University of California Student Association, the ASUC and Rock the Vote allows students to register to vote directly with the secretary of state. With this tool, students can also get updates as we get closer to Election Day and get more involved in campus voter outreach efforts.
After the huge youth turnout in the 2008 election, CALPIRG and the ASUC Vote Coalition are determined to make sure that young people vote in larger numbers than ever before. We urge students to use online registration to prove that we are engaged. Students have the power to shape our country. There are an estimated 3 million of us in California alone, and online registration will help make our voice heard.
Lilly Adams is the chair of CALPIRG at UC Berkeley for the 2012-2013 term.
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