Students received election information and advice on Oct. 25 at the Turtle Pond during Voterpalooza, an event that celebrated the start of early voting earlier that week.
Nonpartisan student organization TX Votes hosted the event. Hook the Vote, another nonpartisan student organization, tabled at the event, which aimed to increase student voter participation. They offered students sample ballots, voter guides and additional voting information, such as acceptable forms of identification and places to vote. Participants could also grab food after answering questions about where and when they plan to vote.
University polling stations have recorded nearly 6,000 votes since early voting began on Oct. 21. Adithi Rallapalli, external events chair for TX Votes, said students should vote early to avoid long lines on Election Day.
“Sometimes (voting lines will) be three hours (long on campus),” said Rallapalli, a Plan II, biology and economics sophomore. “We really encourage people to go early so that they can get their ballot cast or if they see a longer line, they still have the ability to come back later.”
Social work junior Mina Oh, who uses she/they pronouns, said she recently voted, but changed their county from Dallas to Travis last minute. Oh said they briefly researched candidates while waiting to vote, but didn’t feel prepared.
“The person I was with was writing all these names down because she had done prior research,” Oh said. “She wanted to just have them memorized when she actually did the voting. I only started researching because she was doing it beside me.”
Recuerdo Lopez, a member of Hook the Vote, voted early and said she used a voter guide to help her choose who to vote for. She said students should vote to give voice to the voiceless.
“(For me), it was important to vote because most of my family are immigrants … and their voice isn’t heard because they don’t have a choice to vote,” social work freshman Lopez said. “A lot of (students’) parents came here (to give them a) better choice. They should use that voice to make a change.”
If students are still unsure of who to vote for, Rallapalli said they can look at candidates’ stances on policy issues and determine if their position will affect them. She said students can also think about what they deem most important and see if candidates address those issues.
“Voting is your civic responsibility and your right,” Rallapalli said. “So how much of how you vote can directly affect a lot of actions that happen in your daily life. … (It’s) important that people exercise the right to vote so that they can be involved in the community.”
Early voting will continue until Nov. 1. Election Day is Nov. 5.
