UTEP’s Center for Community Engagement (CCE) hosted an event on campus for National Voter Registration Day Sep. 17, supporting students in the registration process and sharing information on the upcoming elections.
According to Nonprofit VOTE, as many as one in four eligible Americans do not register to vote due to missing the deadline or not updating registration information.
Heriberto Garcia, the program manager for CCE shared that hosting an event for Voter Registration Day is an important step in letting the public know that there are deadlines set in the voting process.
“If you’re not registered to vote by election day or the deadline to do so, you’re not able to vote,” said Garcia. “A lot of people don’t know that, so that’s why we’re having this event to provide that information to the students and the public in general and getting them registered as well.”
Since its start in 2012, Voter Registration Day has helped organizations register more than five million people, including 1.5 million in 2020 according to nationalvoterregistrationday.org.
Marco Covarrubias is the training coordinator supervisor for the El Paso County elections department. He emphasizes the importance of voter participation.
“We want everybody to vote, this election, and every election and El Paso, we could do a much better job of turnout,” said Covarrubias. “We do a great job of registering voters, as you can see by this event today, but where we fall short is on actually getting out to vote.”
The Texas Secretary of State website states that in 2022, El Paso County had a population of 506,554 but only 165,446 of residents were registered voted.
Covarrubias encourages El Pasoans to become regular voters, as it not only lets voters share their own voice but also benefits the community.
“Become a voter, a regular voter, not only for yourself, but for the community at large,” said Covarrubias. “We need as many people to be involved so that we can all make a change to improve our lives.”
Sophomore and creative writing student Jimena Siqueiros encouraged fellow students to register and vote in upcoming elections.
“I think especially for young people it’s important ’cause we need representation,” said Siqueiros. “Your needs and your wants matter and if you are gonna vote then you’re gonna be represented.”
Garcia emphasized the importance of representation, urging those uncertain about participating in the 2024 elections to recognize that voter registration and voting are essential steps toward empowering individuals.
“What I always tell students is like as long as you’re registered, you have the power to choose whether or not you want to vote but making sure that you’re registered (is) the most important part,” said Garcia. “And then step two is actually going up into the polls and vote whatever your affiliation is, whatever your perspectives are, it’s important for you to practice that right to vote.”
Important dates that voters should be aware of is the registration deadline for the upcoming elections is Oct. 7, early voting runs from Oct. 21 to Nov. 1, and Election Day is Nov. 5.
For more information on voter registration or to check if you are registered to vote visit VoteTexas.gov, and epcountyvotes.com.
For any questions or assistance in the registration process or to learn more about upcoming registration and voting events, students can reach CCE through utep.edu/cce, [email protected] or (915) 747-7969.
