The League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County and VoteRiders hosted a voter training session Sept. 13 in the Alumni Memorial Union, where students were trained to register themselves and others to vote.
“The students need to be educated. The photo ID law is very confusing,” Anita Johnson, the state coordinator for VoteRiders, a non-partisan, non-profit organization that ensures all citizens know of their voting rights. The organization specializes in helping people get IDs to vote.
Johnson said the government has made it difficult for everyone to vote.
“Any way they can stop us from voting, that’s what they will do,” she said. “That’s what they do to college students.”
In order for Marquette students to vote, they must prove enrollment at the educational institution by providing a student picture ID with a class schedule or tuition receipt. Students can also file for a voter ID card in the Union Station in the AMU to prove enrollment at Marquette.
The presentation was provided to Marquette students, faculty and staff. After the training session, students are able to help at a registration table with the Office of Public Affairs for registering voters online before the elections on Nov. 6.
“Voting in this country is how we voice our opinion about the things important to us,” said Michelle Goldstein, a volunteer with the voter services team of the League of Women Voters.
“Democracy is not a spectator sport, it’s a participation sport,” Goldstein said. “Unless everyone is participating, the things we believe and our democracy just don’t work.”
The League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County is comprised of both men and women whose work focuses on issues of voting rights, advocacy and education organizations, and empowering voters through community outreach.
Dan Brophy, legislative vice president for MUSG and a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said Marquette is focusing on improving student engagement and registering students to vote.
“We are a greater community of Milwaukee and what many people know about Milwaukee is that it’s the most segregated city in the United States,” Brophy said. “Part of fighting issues like segregation in cities is keeping the entire population engaged, and that especially includes the undergraduate students at Marquette.”
Brophy said when people vote in college, it helps them continue to vote after college, and making voting habitual is important for every student.
“The short-term goal is to get students trained for registration and helping others register. The long-term goal is to show Marquette is committed to efforts like these,” Brophy said.
