Whether it’s by attending election awareness campaigns or by registering to vote, UF students can become engaged in the upcoming presidential election.
The Politic365 College Convention Bus Tour, an 11-college and university tour in conjunction with the Republican and Democratic national conventions, will hold a rally from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday in the Reitz Union Rion Ballroom. Students will voice their opinions on topics such as jobs, health care and immigration, according to a UF news release.
Students will also have access to a Politic365 speaker panel and representatives from politically engaged organizations like the College Republicans and College Democrats.
On Aug. 31, “Bring it to the Table,” a community engagement campaign, will be on Turlington Plaza from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The program, sponsored by the Bob Graham Center for Public Service, will allow students to share their political beliefs in an effort to encourage tolerance and discussion, according to a UF news release.
The tour is attending the Republican National Convention and will stop in Gainesville on its way to the Democratic National Convention in North Carolina, said Shelby Taylor, digital and communications director at the Graham Center.
If students have not yet registered to vote, they can do so through TurboVote, Taylor said.
Students can also change their registration county to Alachua County or request an absentee ballot from their county of permanent residence.
Andrew Arons, a 19-year-old telecommunication sophomore, requested an absentee ballot from his hometown of Boca Raton using the TurboVote link on the Integrated Student Information System.
About 1,500 students have either completed an absentee ballot request or registered since the program launched this summer, Taylor said.
“With students back on campus,” she said, “we’ll really start to see a huge increase in those numbers.”
Students can register using Turbovote by visiting ufl.turbovote.org.
