SGA Encourages Voting with Bruin Vote
The midterm elections are Tuesday, and to encourage students to vote, the Student Government Association is once again providing Bruin Vote, which is an all-in-one engagement platform.
"Bruin Vote is a platform that is accessible to all Belmont students in all 50 states because we have every single student represented by every single state in the US," says Kendall Ownby, SGA's parliamentarian.
"It's...a platform that students can utilize their Belmont e-mail to go in, put their address that they live in back home or the address they are registered to vote in...and check in on their voter process," Ownby explains.
"We wanted Bruin Vote as a platform to help students be more civically engaged in the process of voting, to be able to have their voices heard. As citizens, we all have the right to vote, and we want people to be able to know that they can exercise it, feel comfortable exercising it and know how to exercise it," says SGA Senator Jack Ball.
"That can be checking your registration, checking if you want to mail in your ballot...just all things related to voting," Ownby says of the site.
Bruin Vote doesn't just assist students with their voting method; it also will have a personalized ballot based on the student's voting state.
"Whenever you log in and you create your account, there's a tab that you can click on and it's called 'Check Out My Ballot Guide.' And what it'll do is it'll pull up by each election and even not specifically party or offices, any constitutional amendments to your state constitution," Ball said.
In addition to showing what candidates are on the ballot, Ball says that the platform will go in depth on each option.
"It'll inform you on those and the wording on them and what they mean. Then you can click on by candidate and it'll click it'll say their party or if they're an independent, and it'll say what they're running on or their education, their background and just overall what they believe in and that'll help you form how you want to vote."
In addition to these resources, the program also offers rewards for each task you complete, from a $100 Target gift card to 2 tickets to a Nashville Soccer Club game.
"For students to be able to know that they can vote and how to exercise that, in a day and age where it's very important to form opinions of your own...we just want to be able to provide a platform that's unbiased and allow students to freely form their opinion for themselves" Ball said.
Ownby and Ball both hope that the site will be a helpful source for students who may feel overwhelmed with voting.
"I think Bruin Vote helps you exercise your right to vote, helps you engage in the civic process. And as young students, I feel like we all have an opinion on how voting should go. And I really think that that's something we should start exercising," Ownby shares.
Overall, Ball and Ownby want Bruin Vote to be a resource for any student in any situation.
"Bruin Vote just helps you meet you along the way,” says Ownby. "Wherever you are, regardless of if you're registered to vote, if you voted forever, if you're not voting...it helps you meet where you are."
Written by Emma Walsh
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