BTC Students Celebrate National Voter Registration Day

BTC Student Government Association and Multi-Cultural Alliance celebrated National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday, September 24 with a non-partisan event to encourage students to register to vote. The League of Women Voters was on site to help students with the registration process and to answer questions about voting. Several individuals registered to vote at the event.

Founded in 2012, National Voter Registration Day is designed to create an annual moment when the entire nation focuses on registering Americans to exercise their most basic right — the right to vote. More than two million Americans have registered to vote on this day since the inaugural National Voter Registration Day.

“Our capacity to vote is one of the most important rights and responsibility of civil society and of the citizenry to express their perspective of who can best lead and serve us as a nation,” said BTC Social Science Instructor Rubina Jan.

National, state, and local organizations are the driving forces behind National Voter Registration Day each year. Events have been scheduled nationwide to drive attention to voter registration and increase participation in elections.

In a poll presented to her students, Jan asked students why it is important to vote. Students cited freedom, equality, democracy, fairness and having a say as important considerations. Further, they said they plan to vote to express their views, make change and engage the community.

Blackhawk Radiography student Caleb Gramke was a volunteer at the event. He said, “Everybody should vote to get their voice out there. It is important that we have a say in what is happening in our country.”