October 7, 2008
For Immediate Release
For an Interview:
Trevor Tooke
(801) 863-8732
No need to wait in long lines on Election Day as Utah Valley University will be providing six early voting machines on campus Oct. 21-31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in SC 105. The voting machines can be used by any Utah County registered voters (students and community members) and offers flexibility for voters to choose from various days to vote instead of only on Election Day.
According to the State of Utah Elections Office, there are 246,265 registered voters in Utah County which is the second highest in the state behind Salt Lake County. The early voting booths at UVU will help lessen the crowds of the large group of voters in Utah County.
"UVU is taking the first step of action by providing an accessible location to vote where we can all be heard and not have to wait in the long lines and deal with the frustrations on Nov. 4," said Trevor Tooke, executive vice president of UVUSA.
These voting machines were made possible by a petition sent around last year that had roughly 2,000 student signatures stating their interest in them. The petition was started by UVUSA and provided students a way to show they cared about elections and about being civically engaged.
In the past few years, UVU has had the most registered students out of all Utah colleges. In this year’s voter registration drive, UVU student voter registrations have increased by 3,300 so far.
"I think the biggest reason that UVU wants people to be politically involved is because politicians are not going to care about the issues that we care about until they see that we are voting," said Miss UVU, Christina Lowe, who is part of this year’s campaign to increase student voter registration.
"We won’t be heard until we speak up. UVU is offering Orem City and Utah County the opportunity to be heard on a political level," said Tooke. "UVU is setting the example that we support the United States of America and wish the best for our national affairs."
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College Marketing Contact:
Erin Spurgeon
(801) 863-6807
Written by:
Britnee Nguyen
(801) 863-8504