GPSF task force to increase student voter participation

With the 2016 presidential election a few months away, the Graduate and Professional Student Federation at UNC is looking for new ways to help students make informed decisions. 

In August, the organization issued an executive order creating the President’s Task Force on Civic Engagement. 

The task force will focus on registering students to vote, providing students with information about candidates and voting laws and hosting a march to the polls on Election Day. 

“We just really want to make sure that graduate and professional students are engaged with what’s going on in the community and are able to get to the polls,” said Dylan Russell, GPSF president. 

Russell said in past elections, voter turnout has been low for young people, including graduate students. Russell wants to encourage more young people to vote in 2016.

“Only 45 percent of 18 to 29 year olds voted in the 2012 election and only 19.9 percent of 18 to 29 year olds voted in the 2014 election,” he said.

Sabrina Willard, city and local relations chair for GPSF, will serve as the chair of the task force. 

“I was appointed by the president, Dylan Russell, to lead this task force because he knew that I had an interest in the issue,” Willard said. “But also it just works out that what we’re doing here with the task force aligns with my position already.”

Willard said members of the task force would be chosen this week from a diverse group of applicants.

“We’ve had people express interest from the political science department, the genetics department, the religious studies department,” said Willard. “The people who have expressed interest are those who seem really, really passionate about voter registration and civic engagement.” 

Once members have been chosen, Willard anticipates the task force getting out into the community quickly.

“The goal is to enter into September and hit the ground running,” said Willard.

Cole Simons, speaker for Student Congress, said GPSF is doing great work and Student Congress is willing to help. 

“We don’t specifically in our capacity as a legislative body normally organize voter registration stuff, but we more than support the stuff that they’re doing,” Simons said. “We’ll open it up for Congress members to join and help out with the executive branch or GPSF, however they want us to help.”

Russell said it is important for students to vote because politics are an important part of higher education, especially as a public institution.

“The folks that we’re electing today really determine the future of our University,” he said. “Students now more so than ever are called to be thoughtful and responsive and to really defend the core of the institution by partaking in the democratic process.”

@natalieaconti

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