For some students, the Nov. 3 presidential election will be the first time they get to vote, and the first step to participate is to be informed and registered.
According to the Student Activities website, Vaqueros Vote is a nonpartisan coalition of UTRGV faculty, staff, students and community organizations.
Vaqueros Vote is dedicated to increasing political and civic participation among the university community.
Assistant Director for Student Activities Lauren Contreras said the main goal for Vaqueros Vote is to have 100% voter registration and increasing get out the vote numbers. She explains the importance of voting.
“It’s important for people to vote because their voice actually has a platform when they vote,” Contreras said. “When students or anyone just, you know, protest or, you know, tries to get out the word, but then doesn’t turn up to the polls. That really doesn’t say a lot. So, what happens is if people actually turn out to the polls and they are able to vote, then they’re actually able to get their voice heard.”
According to Contreras, virtual events will be hosted starting Thursday throughout the month of September for awareness of voting and political issues.
“So, some of the plans that we have for this semester is to incorporate that back in there. Through our Civic Engagement Alliance are going to be holding events like coffee and conversation. They’re going to be kind of talking about some hot topics, like, immigration is coming up and then Valley representation,” she said. “So, that is a lot of what we have planned for this year is not only getting out the word through our marketing pieces but also through education, which has been lacking for a little bit.”
Contreras explained that the COVID-19 pandemic brings some challenges but plans on using social media and VLink to promote all events.
“One is that we can’t kind of be in students like face right there on campus, you know, asking them to register, to vote, making a big splash there, getting them pizza, but we are able to do some things that we haven’t done before,” Contreras said.
According to Contreras, during National Voter Registration Day on Sept. 22 Civic Engagement Alliance will host a Zoom event on how to register to vote, the importance of voting and important deadlines and upcoming early voting.
Psychology Senior Alexis Ramirez said there is a stigma about voting and voices not being heard.
“Where a lot of people think that if they don’t vote well, it doesn’t matter that their voice is not heard, but that’s not true,” Ramirez said. “And it truly reflects in the polls and our elections and marginalized people. Communities are the ones who are most affected by this with low voter turnout, especially here in the Valley.”
According to Contreras, the UTRGV Edinburg campus will have an early voting and election day site.
While the Brownsville campus will not have an early voting site but there will be one in close proximity at the Texas Southmost College Jacob Brown Auditorium.
For additional information on upcoming elections, general voting information and deadlines for the state of Texas, visit VoteTexas.gov.
FOR VAQUERO RADIO, I’M VICTOR RAMIREZ
