With the presidential election less than a week away, volunteers from the Coordinated Campaign of the Democratic Party — an organization affiliated with local and national races — and members of University Democrats have created a tool intended to increase voter turnout among University students.
The “Make Your Plan To Vote” tool is a Google form that asks the user where they will vote, which form of identification they will bring and what time they will vote. This information is then emailed back to the student so they have a comprehensive plan for themselves on Election Day.
The University Democrats have received support from Student Council to help increase student use of the tool. Second-year College student Alex Cintron, member of both the Student Council Legislative Affairs committee and the University Democrats, has been active in this effort to increase voter turnout.
“The big idea behind it is that people say that they’re going to vote but once election day comes they lose track of time that they have,” Cintron said. “So this tool is meant for people to think about what their day is going to be like and when they’re going to vote, how they’re going to vote [and] where they’re going to vote because this increases the chance that they will actually vote.”
The tool provides students with a comprehensive list of Charlottesville City and Albemarle County polling locations broken down by the addresses assigned to those centers and encourages students to think about how they will get to these locations by offering suggestions such as walking, taking the bus or driving with a friend.
Students who make a plan to vote are much more likely to vote, Katie Brandon, third-year College student and Student Council director of Political Engagement, said.
“It’s been a great way to help students vote because they’ll tell you, ‘I know where I’m voting,’ but when you ask them how they’re going to get there it’s another story, so it’s a great way for students to make a better plan to vote,” Brandon said.
Both the University Democrats and Student Council have helped spread awareness of the tool by hosting tabling events by the Whispering Wall. Additionally, the form has been sent to other student organizations and shared on social media pages.
Although the tool was created by partisan groups, Cintron said its purpose is to encourage all students of every political faction to vote.
“It is a completely non-partisan thing, of course. Every political organization encourages people to vote,” Cintron said.
Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 8.
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