Voter Registration
By: Paul Sweazy
Updated: September 28, 2012
East Texas Baptist University senior Clint Kalinec intends to vote in teh upcoming presidential election, but for whom he is not yet sure.
"I'm not quite sure who I'm gonna vote for yet, just 'casue I'm still trying to figure out whose beliefs I agree with."
Clint has a few weeks before election day comes, but Friday he took the first step toward having his ballot counted. He registered to vote before eating lunch in the ETBU Student Center. The university's Political Awareness Society was there to help Clint and other students fill out the necessary forms. PAS President Shelby Robinson-Abad and her team spend three days a week getting students registered to vote.
"I know that there are so many people who are maybe intimidated by politics or by the presidential election, or who think 'oh well my vote doesn't count,' and so you have to be intentional about reaching out to them and making it easy, convenient - 'cause it is!"
The work the PAS and others are doing is greatly impacting voter rolls. Harrison County is on pace to exceed the record for registered voters set in 2008. The County currently stands at 41,569 registered voters. In 2008 42,775 were registered in County by Election Day. The window for voter registration in Texas closes October 9. Harrison's Elections Administrator Dan Teed says his staff is still processing dozens of applications every day.
"Excited. I think it's wonderful, you know, it makes you feel like you're really doing something that matters when you have this many people care about elections."
Caddo and Bossier Parishes have both exceed the number of voters registered during the last Presidential Election. Caddo Parish is home to more than 166,000. Louisiana's voter registration also ends October 9.
