In the last few weeks counting down to election day, the New Paltz chapter of the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) has been hard at work registering students to vote. While NYPIRG works to register students every year, this year has been an important one for NYPIRG with the 2024 presidential election.
This year, NYPIRG registered 698 students for voter status. In comparison to past years registering students, social media coordinator and council of organization representatives Vivienne Knouse-Frenzer said, “What I saw is that this year was a lot of professors were really motivated to help their students get out to vote.” To make sure students were registered, professors made a civil engagement committee, with a spreadsheet of professors who wanted someone to come in for a class wrap.
Class wraps, in which NYPIRG members visit classrooms to speak about voter registration and distribute forms, was one of the many ways NYPIRG worked to register students. Alongside them, members also tabled outside of the Humanities building and spread the word through their social media. NYPIRG registered most students through class wraps and tabling, while the number of students they registered through social media is unclear
While NYPIRG registered an impressive number of students, there were many obstacles along the way. The end of the Thursday Market made tabling difficult. “Now, it’s just a big rush right when class ends or starts when people come and they’re like ‘Okay, I’ll register to vote.’ Compared to the Thursday market, there would be a constant influx of people just walking by,” Knouse-Frenzer said.
Many students also filled out forms incorrectly, hindering the speed at which they can be registered. NYPIRG co-president Taliyah Lwe added “The biggest obstacle is finding students that have the patience to do it.” In order to curb these difficulties, members found it is best to give students registration forms when they pass the table and have them check in the following week.
Why do all this work to make sure students are registered voters? Though it is part of NYPIRG’s role, members feel passionately about the role students play as voters in elections. “We are the folks that are gonna be around the longest to see the real impact of these elections and the results,” project coordinator Emma Paulsen said. Knouse-Frenzer also said, “When you don’t vote, you empower everyone else to vote, and they suddenly have more power to dictate your life.”
Voting is essential in leading a civically engaged lifestyle, and it all begins with registering. While voter registration has ended for the current election cycle, it’s never to early to plan for next year. To learn more, refer to NYPIRG’s Instagram, @nypirgnpz, to learn more about registering, what it means to be a voter and become part of the organization!