The process of registering to vote as a college student can feel confusing. Jennifer Collins, professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point, encourages students to help each other in navigating this process.
Collins is the advisor of Pointers Vote Coalition (PVC), an organization focused on providing students with non-partisan voter education and assistance with voter registration. The student-lead project started as two interns working with the national Campus Elections Engagement Project (CEEP) in 2021 and has since grown into a team of five.
These students regularly coordinate information tables and host events to promote and encourage voter registration with the help of Collins, the Andrew Goodman Foundation and Campus Vote Project. With a commitment to bipartisanship, the group has worked to charter initiatives that simplify the registration process, including compliant student I.D.s, physical and digital registration guides and an optional canvas course through the Dean of Students office called “Vote 101.”
Collins notes that the organization’s success lies in the hands of PVC’s student interns. From hosting information tables in the Dreyfus University Center to trivia events and organizing candidate forums, the work the students have done is impressive, she said.
“It's constant work that takes persistence,” Collins said. “I think new voters can easily get intimidated, but these students are great at getting their peers excited about voting and participating in the democratic process.”
Katelynn Gauger, second-year political science major and PVC president, has enjoyed working with Collins and other campus stakeholders to share her passion for democracy with her peers.
“Voting and voter education is important to me because it is the way that we can see our opinions influence our government,” she said. “Especially for young people, it is important to see our opinions reflected in our leadership.”
Gauger is grateful to work with an advisor like Collins who shares her passion for civic engagement and helps this organization thrive. With several days until the presidential election, there is still time for students to register and make a plan to vote. For more information on PVC and student voting resources, visit https://uwsp.motivote.us/on-boarding/overview/.
