Since SB 14 — Voter ID — passed in the Texas legislature last session, many students have speculated about the bill’s implications for our campus this fall. Among other provisions, the bill would have required voters to present a photo ID matching the address on your driver’s license – so if you’re a student and your license doesn’t match that new dorm or West Campus address, you would be out of luck.

But on Aug. 30, a D.C. federal court shut the Voter ID bill down, ruling that it would actually have a “retrogressive effect” on voting in Texas. Now that the bill’s rules are no longer a concern (for now), students have no excuse not to register to vote and have a say in the November elections.

Opportunities to register will be everywhere this fall. It’s a quick process, it’s easy, and in this time of close elections, it empowers you with the ability to make a real difference. Be sure and register by the Oct. 9 deadline, then take the next step. Register your friends, register your neighbors, and be “that person” who reminds them about the early voting and election dates.

When it comes to Voter ID, students are in the clear. Now it’s time for us to get to work.

— Calve is a government major from Dickinson and director of Hook the Vote, the campus-wide voter registration campaign.