USC Fights On in the Battle to Register Voters
Several USC organizations are combining efforts with more than 1,100 other organizations nationwide to increase visibility of Tuesday's wide-spread initiative: National Voter Registration Day.
In 2008, thousands of Americans missed the opportunity to vote due to missing registration deadlines and a lack of general awareness of the voting process. Although Gov. Jerry Brown signed bills this week that will allow voters to register until election day, this year's presidential election will still require citizens to register at least 15 days prior.
With less than 45 days left until the presidential election, activists are now determined to ensure that this year's students will be eligible to vote -- especially on the campus of USC.
Voter registration forms can also be found at the Center for Student Government and Programming in Room 224 of the Ronald Tutor Campus Center, or online at this website.
Also in collaboration with Voter Registration Day, El Centro Chicano and the IDEA Movement at USC will be hosting registration booths at the United University Church; students can also register on Trousdale Parkway, provided by the USC Latino Association for Policy, Planning and Development (LAPPD) and Voto Latino.
The activism of these Latino organizations comes at a time when some civil rights groups question the fairness of this year's voting restrictions.
"This year, an unprecendeted number of voting restrictions impose barriers to voting that disproportionately affect the Latino community," the Advancement Project stated in a recent report.
The report cites three primary issues that could bar Latino participation in this year's election: proof of citizenship requirements, photo ID laws, and an effort to exclude noncitizens from voter polls.
The goal, however, is that by informing citizens of possible legal restrictions, activists will be able to help keep voters prepared to exercise their right to vote on November 6th.
100's of us were forced to vote provisionally on campus today despite having registerd with current usc address prior. Please look into the root of this and who is the cause.