On registering to vote

Adam Kozman, Opinion Editor

Sometime last week, in the student center just outside the dining hall, there was a person from the Erie County Board of Elections set up with a voter registration stand. Sitting there, they asked people as they walked by, “Are you interested in registering to vote?” 

A lot of people were just walking by, going on with their business, kind of ignoring the person. Maybe they are all registered already or just not interested. According to the United States Census Bureau in 2024, 73.6% of the voting age population was registered to vote, which is a good majority of people, but still, accounting for that percentage, about every fourth person walking by was not registered to vote. Granted, it is a problem to strictly enforce 100% voting cooperation. People should have the choice whether or not to vote, but still, that is a quarter of the eligible population missing out having a say in their government.

Voting is not too complicated and does not take much time out of people’s day. It is made incredibly accessible. Registering is easy too; there are people out there actively trying to get more people to vote. Even at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) nowadays, they offer voter registration when people go to get their drivers licenses. Once registered, a person can vote on national, state and local levels. They can exercise their democratic right to have a say in who should be placed in power. It is just as important to participate in state wide elections as it is in the national ones. State governments are the ones enacting laws and regulations within the state, approving budgets for state run programs and infrastructures, appointing judges and supervising attorneys. It is not all about the presidential race, even though it is important, the choices that directly impact your life come from the places of government you are most in contact with, say, your city.  

Registering allows you to take part in the very thing our government is built around. Registering to vote opens you up to having a say in what happens in the country you live. Registering to vote can be your first step into bringing about changes you see fit in your community – you have the ability. Every vote counts to broader outcomes. The idea that one vote is not going to make a difference is misleading. It gives people the impression that their vote doesn’t matter, when in actuality the simple action of them voting has a greater effect than they think. One person’s actions can influence others, and theirs another.  

So with elections coming up in November, now is the time to start thinking about this. Countless people who have poured their lives out for people to gain the right to vote, the likes of Fredrick Douglas and Susan B. Anthony, would wish people were taking advantage of what they fought for.