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Michigan Tech is attempting to increase the number of registered student voters on campus, in preparation for upcoming local elections.
A voter registration drive was held Tuesday as the school partnered with other universities across the country for National Voter Registration day.
Over 75 students along with clerks from the city and county of Houghton were on campus, encouraging students to register to vote.
Last year only 34 percent of MTU students eligible to vote took to the polls in the presidential election.
Michigan Tech Associate Professor of Sociology and Demography, Richelle Winkler says that millions of Americans do not vote every year, only because they have failed to register prior to election time.
“In the state of Michigan, you have to be registered at least 30 days before an election and that’s something that a lot of our students or first time voters–younger people–don’t really know. So we’re really trying to make it easier for students to get registered to vote well in advance.”
Winkler encourages all citizens to register.
Registration forms can be found at Secretary of State branches and on line.
They can also be obtained at any city or county clerk’s office.
