With an October 9th deadline fast approaching, getting people registered to vote is a major priority for the state. One Democratic lawmaker and a group of students is also working to make sure every vote in Tallahassee gets counted in the upcoming election.
Democratic Representative Alan Williams says it’s important to get all eligible people registered to vote. That’s why he joined student organization, “Students for Obama” Wednesday on the Florida State University campus to get voters signed up before October 9th.
Another voter registration drive campaign is underway in the state, and it’s partly due to an election law that was recently tied up in federal court. Part of the law’s provision included restrictions on third party voter registration, which deterred groups, like the Florida League of Women Voters, who are now making up for lost time, after a judge tossed out the provision. But, Representative Williams says the same is not true for “Students for Obama.”
“Students here at Florida State have been working their butts off, as it relates to voter registration. They have not been deterred by the voter suppression bill that was passed a year or so ago," said Williams. "They said ‘look, we’ve faced obstacles before as students. We’ve faced them when we’re standing in line for financial aid. We face them when we’re trying to get our meal plan. We’re not going to let some legislators in the Florida Legislature deter us from getting folks registered to vote. We’re going to fight like hell and we’re going to make sure that we’re going to get as many people registered to vote as we can.”
Kevin Fahey is one of the students who’s been helping with the effort. He’s a Graduate Student at FSU, and a Neighborhood Team Leader in Tallahassee for President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign. Fahey says his goal is to sign up as many people as possible, regardless of their party affiliation:
“We registered someone who said ‘I’m voting for [Libertarian] Gary Johnson. And, the first thing I did was ask him if he was registered here in Tallahassee," said Fahey. "Personally, I think everyone should be registered. I think it’s the job of the government to register all of us. Since the government is not doing that, the federal government, the state government says it’s the job of the person to come and register, I’m going to go out and make sure that every person is registered to vote.”
To register online, visit www.GottaRegister.Com. Online Voter Registration forms can also be found on the Florida Department of State’s web site. The last day for Floridians to register is October 9th.
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