A new Instagram page is educating students about voting.
The page, @ocuvotes, is an account run by a group of OCU alumni including Kaitlin Nelson, dance management alumna, Haley Fortune, acting alumna, Ali Wonderly, vocal music/theatre performance alumna, and Daxx Wieser, music theater alumnus.
Nelson said the group has a lot of support from the OCU community.
“As soon as I put this idea out there, I had so many people wanting to help,” Nelson said. “We have so many people who are in the current student body who are helping us behind the scenes, and we have some faculty as well. It’s a big group.”
Nelson said she was inspired to start the page by her two 18-year-old brothers.
“When I started looking up stats about Gen Z, I saw that it is going to make up one in 10 eligible voters in this election,” she said. “Twenty-four million Gen Z members are now eligible to vote. That’s a staggering number.”
Nelson said almost all of the students at OCU will be eligible to vote in the upcoming presidential election. Nelson also said Gen Z is on track to be the most diverse generation, as well as the most well-educated.
The account provides students with important information and guidance on different voting topics, from knowing how to change voter registration to connecting with other students in their voting communities.
“When you’re going to college, it can be really confusing to figure out which state to vote in: if you want to vote absentee or register in Oklahoma,” Nelson said. “We just had a video with Kaley Were. She was rehearsing for a Disney cruise line in Toronto during the 2016 election, but she’s from Texas, so she had to figure out how to get an absentee ballot in a different country.”
Nelson said connecting with other students during the voting season is important.
“In a time when we feel out of touch or powerless, I think we need to realize we have power in numbers in this election,” she said. “Even if you think there’s no one else at OCU from your home state, out of all of our alumni, there has to be someone from your state. At OCU, we have students from all 50 states, international students and students studying abroad; I realized we span the whole world.”
The page partnered with Feel Good Voting, a website that helps young and new voters get involved in elections.
“Voter purging is happening. It’s just a fact,” Nelson said. “Feel Good Voting gave us links in our bio that will help you register to vote, check your registration status or request a mail-in ballot.”
Nelson said students need to have a plan for the upcoming election.
“Voting itself is super easy, but making sure that you make a plan for how you’re going to do it is one of the most important things,” she said. “To be honest, I don’t know what’s going on with USPS. I don’t have control over what’s going on, but I do have control over how I vote. If I vote by mail, I’ll give my ballot plenty of time to arrive to where it’s going, and if I’m voting in person, I’ll take all the necessary health precautions to make sure I’m being safe.”
Nick Sayegh, marketing/finance freshman, will be voting for the first time in the upcoming presidential election. Sayegh said he is excited to make his voice heard.
“The thing I’m looking forward to is actually representing my views on a national scale,” Sayegh said. “No matter how small the election is, voting is a right.”
Sayegh said students should make sure they are well researched in order to make an educated vote.
“Be sure to be politically aware and educated on what you’re voting for. Make sure to differentiate your views from your parents’ views and your friends’ views,” he said. “You should be educated independently and not voting blindly.”
Nelson said students need to treat every election with significance.
“The most important thing is to realize that the elections that feel like they’re small sometimes make the biggest difference. I know everyone is excited to vote in the presidential election, but our congressional elections are arguably more important. The most important thing you can do for the election on Nov. 3 is to have a plan,” Nelson said.
Current students, faculty and alumni interested in volunteering should contact @ocuvotes on Instagram.
To read more about the changes to the USPS and their possible effects, see our article here.
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