Register to vote at local address before next week

The deadline to register to vote in the 2007 general election is fast approaching. Students should register before next Tuesday, Oct. 9.

Too often, government representatives overlook students and their needs because student voters are thought to make up only a small percentage of the electorate. Politicians are not wrong in their assumptions; college-aged citizens are consistently underrepresented in the voting booths across the United States.

In order to see that they are not forgotten, students need to vote and show their political weight. The first step toward a campus with active voters is to get everyone registered to vote.

Students should know that even if their parents live outside of Fayette County, students can still register to vote here.

There are many ways to go about registering to vote. Representatives from Kentuckians for the Commonwealth have been stationed in front of the Grehan Journalism Building throughout the semester registering students to vote.

It only takes a few minutes to stop, fill out the voter registration card and walk away. The advantage to filling out a voter registration card at the KFTC booth is that the organization will turn in the card to the Kentucky State Board of Elections for you.

In addition, Student Government is holding a registration drive until the deadline. SG will also provide students with information about the candidates.

Otherwise, students can stop by any computer to download and print the voter registration card for Kentucky from the Board of Elections Web site (http://elect.ky.gov/

register.htm).

After filling out a card, students can mail it to the Fayette County Clerk at 162 E. Main St., Lexington, KY 40507.

Following any means of registration, you should expect an acknowledgement through the mail that the county clerk’s office has received your card.

Even if students are unsure of how or if they will vote, they should register to ensure that the choice is available to them when the Nov. 6 elections roll around.