The grassroots Vote Project campaign has registered more U students to vote than any other effort in recent years.
The student-led group helped more than 6,000 U students register, which is more than Rock the Vote has accomplished in the past.
Tyler Allen, a senior in political science, started the project because he “wanted to encourage young people to get involved with issues that can affect them.”
Volunteers started meeting the first week of September and appeared on campus two weeks later.
Before Vote Project existed, about 50 to 60 percent of the campus usually registered. This year, Bryson Morgan, U director of Vote Project, estimated that 82 percent of the campus will have a chance to vote. He attributed the success to tabling and use of the free speech area near the Union.
Becky Webster, a sophomore in political science, helped with the tables by organizing who was stationed at the table and the times people were there.
“I feel very strongly about [having] a voice and that is through voting,” Webster said.
Along with several volunteers, Webster helped students fill out the voting forms and answered questions.
Soon others with similar goals joined in.
Daniel Parker, a senior in mass communication, organized a free-speech forum to give students a chance to be heard, and teamed up with Vote Project.
“I am happy that a little bit of effort got people to register to vote,” Parker said. “Vote Project was effective with the free speech,” because in about an hour, he had counted more than a hundred people who registered.
To avoid confusion, volunteers double-checked all the forms for accuracy and contacted anyone who did not fill in the information correctly. Afterward, Morgan and three other individuals delivered the forms to county clerks’ offices.
With all the time and effort put into the project, Morgan said, “I’m 100 percent sure all of the forms got to the county clerk’s office.”
Rumors were starting to spread that not all of the forms made it to the clerk’s office, but Morgan said it was because of an incident at Brigham Young University.
More than 100 forms at BYU did not get turned in and Morgan said, “I am absolutely certain this is not the case here.”
Morgan said he tested it himself and turned in his registration with one of the piles. He said he had received confirmation that he was registered.
Besides tabling and registering students, Vote Project volunteers spent Thursday and Monday nights calling people to remind them to vote.
If anyone is not sure where to vote, Morgan said they may go to www.clerk.slco.org/Elections/PollPlace
Vote Project will gather tonight at 7 p.m. in the Saltair room in the Union to watch the election results.