USC ought to do more to institutionalize voting


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Student organizations play a vital role in boosting voter participation. Students are encouraged to visit VoteSC to check their registration online even if they are from out of state. (Daily Trojan file photo)

With the March primaries weeks away, one thing is clear: Election season is hurtling toward us. As millennials and Gen Zers quickly become the largest voting blocks in the country, it is even more vital that college students register to vote. 

In theory, registration requires two-five minutes to gather some basic information, such as one’s mailing address and political party. However, there are many voting barriers unique to college students: understanding first-time registration rules, needing to register for the first time in a new state, changing their mailing address, requesting an absentee ballot and wading through many different deadlines that vary by state. 

This is the problem: At a premier research institution like USC with thousands of students from around the country, it’s hard to dole out this information efficiently. Student-run organizations like VoteSC, created specifically to help students register and become civically engaged, work with limited resources.  

Administrators should be working with student-run organizations to reach as many students as possible. Institutions like USC have the resources to engage their students and take great pride in being international leaders in boosting voter education. So, why hasn’t USC taken the same initiative? Why can’t all students find comprehensive voter information on USC’s website, register through a tab on MyUSC or hear about registration from their designated residential faculty? Why hasn’t voting become more institutionalized on campus, and where can we find models that work? 

As far as examples go, we don’t have to look far. Across town, UCLA has been incredibly successful in engaging its student body. In 2018, UCLA became the first University of California campus to offer an online autofill of a California voter registration form through their student portal MyUCLA. The tool allows students to automatically send their registration to the California Secretary of State’s Office. The portal also provides every student access to voter registration, election deadlines and information about changing their campus address. 

Equally as important, the UCLA Registrar’s Office website offers a comprehensive voting guide, complete with information about registration, elections, and California legislators. With accessible links to registration forms — the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s Office, State Assembly, House and Senate to name just a few — students have myriad resources at their fingertips. UCLA even has their own voter registration campaign connected to their school’s website and student portal.

It is imperative that students interact with the electoral process in college. Voting is a lifelong duty, a skill that must be practiced and learned until it becomes a habit. Voting and voter education should be celebrated and encouraged at institutions of higher education. Students are not expecting the school to take a partisan stance but are merely asking administrators to acknowledge the significance of voter registration. By working together, record numbers of students will be given a platform to make their voices heard. 

USC is falling behind. It is the school’s responsibility to promote civic engagement so that every student has the opportunity to show up to the polls this November. Every election relies on participation, and 2020 will be no different. Let’s make this one count.