Online Voter Registration at UCSC - Students

My name is Victor Velasco and I serve as the External Vice Chair under the Student Union Assembly, our campus wide undergraduate student government. I am excited to announce (to all students) that registering to vote just became easier last week when the California Secretary of State finally institutionalized online voter registration! This process has allowed the Student Union Assembly to partner with the University of California Student Association (UCSA), CALPIRG, and Rock the Vote to create an online portal to help register students that is available through http://www.rockthevote.com/register/ucsa/.

The online application process resulted from legislation passed last year by state Sen. Leland Yee. Students from across the UC system actively advocated for online voter registration last year to ensure that student participation in elections increases and now the process is finally complete! To ensure registration security, the application, which will request date of birth and the last four digits of the applicant’s Social Security number, will be checked against your driver’s license or state identification card. If the application is successful, an electronic image of the applicant’s DMV signature will be added to the application at the end. However, if no signature is on file with the DMV, applicants will be required to print out the form and mail a completed version to the county elections office.

Students should remember to list their university to help show which university is registering the most students to vote. Our goal this year is to register 4,000 people to vote by October 22, 2012 so we are hopeful that this process will help us achieve, if not surpass, our goal. We are working hard to register students, and to create a culture of voting and educate the student body on critical ballot initiatives that will impact all of our lives.

Every year is a critical year for students as we struggle to survive in an environment that is rapidly divesting from public education and our futures. This election grants us all the opportunity to stand up for the things that matter most to us, and our communities. Whether we care most about college affordability, student resources, job opportunities after we graduate etc. we all must come together as a community of people to create a better change. That means registering before the deadline (October 22) and voting on November 6th.

Again, the website is http://www.rockthevote.com/register/ucsa/.