On the heels of the recent Waller County elections, questions and concerns about proper voting techniques still remain and efforts are under way to educate students on correct voting procedures.Frank Jackson, the university’s government relations officer and mayor of Prairie View, said, “Prairie View is tasked to show students how to participate in this democracy. As leaders, parents, and students we have to participate, we cannot sit on the sideline. We just have to show students how to do it right.”
Jackson said, “For a lot of students, this is their first time participating in the political process. This is where students learn how to play the game. It’s a part of your education.”
During the rush of the elections, some students may have been misinformed and ignorant of the correct way to fill out a voter registration card to be considered official residents of Waller County and in turn, have their vote counted in Waller County.
Jackson said that administration and Dr. Wright are committed to making sure students know how to vote properly. “Dr. Wright wants students to be more involved in the entire process: how to vote, register people, poll watchers, campaigning.”
According to Jackson, proper voter registration can be relatively simple once a person is taught the proper procedure. “First, a student must decide where they want to vote and call their residency. No one can make you choose, if you want to vote at home then vote there but you cannot vote in two places in one election. Everyone needs to vote, whether you vote here or at home. If you are registered in one county, you cannot vote in another. You can’t do that, it’s illegal and you can get up to 10 years in prison for it.”
The second step is to “register in that particular city, county, or state.” The key to declaring residency and where a person wants their vote counted is the address that is placed in the “permanent address” box on the voter’s registration card. “Students must put for example Phase I and the room number for a permanent address. Post office boxes cannot be used as a permanent address, but can be used as the mailing address. The county registrar’s office uses the ‘permanent address’ to determine what county you’re in, what precinct you vote in, who you can vote for, and what issues you vote on,” Jackson said.
From year to year, as students move into different university housing, they should alert the county registrar’s office of their change of address. Students can change their registration but it must be complete well before the election day.
Jackson said, “The organizations, whether it be fraternities, sororities, or whatever must teach students how to properly fill out the card and what it means when you fill out the card to vote. They go through training and should know how to do it. It’s a lot of responsibility. This is what America is about.