News
GVSU Helps Over 700 Students Vote in the 2020 Election
November 17, 2020
This year, over 700 students were serviced by the Allendale
Township Satellite Clerk’s Office that was hosted right here on
campus. In partnership with the Community Service Learning Center, the
Satellite Clerk’s Office helped students become more civically
engaged. Students were able to register to vote, re-register using
their Allendale address, request an absentee ballot, and even vote
right in Kirkhof.
On the county level, 76.5%
of Ottawa residents and 72.25%
of Kent residents turned out to vote this year. This is out of a
population of 221,421 registered voters in Ottawa and 501,117
registered voters in Kent. In the City of Grand Rapids, the percentage
of voters who turned out was approximately 65.52%. In Ottawa County,
the percentage of voters increased from 2016; 73.1% of registered
voters in Ottawa participated in voting during the last presidential election.
This election in particular caused a lot of tension within the
community. Students who attended election panels at GVSU reported
feeling stress and concern related to the election. Some students feel
relieved, some feel distressed, and others are concerned about
increasingly wide rifts between family members and friends with whom
they are unable to share common dialogue. For tips and info related to
having healthy discussions with those who disagree with you, check out
the Padnos/Sarosik
Civil Discourse Program.
Remember that your voice does matter, and voting is your civic
duty! Stay up to date on future elections and find ways to stand up
for what you believe in. To find out more about civic engagement at
GVSU and how you can get more involved, check out the Community Service Learning
Center website.
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