Mercer students from both sides of the aisle working to get young voters to the polls

A group of around 30 people came out to Just Tap’d on Nov. 1 to listen to local millennial leaders talk about why they are voting in the upcoming midterm election.

The event specifically targeted getting young voters to turn out for Stacey Abrams, who has done a good job of energizing them in a midterm election, Stephen Galloway, a speaker and Mercer student, said.

“Historically speaking, midterm elections are a time when youth voters do not come out and vote,” he said. “I have noticed a lot of excitement on campus about the race. We have students taking each other to the polls.”

Galloway said that he has tried to help educate students on how to get around obstacles that young voters face when trying to submit a ballot. Many of them are living away from the district they’re registered in and must drive home on Election Day or submit an absentee ballot.

Galloway, along with some of his fellow Mercer students, has made an effort to make sure that his friends and other students are sending in the absentee ballot correctly. They’re also helping out by or driving voters to the polls.

“Get your absentee ballot, fill it out and make sure you put two stamps on it,” Galloway said. “We know that for us to win the election we are going to need the youth to show up and absentee ballots are a way to do that.”

Tonja Khabir helped organized the event at Just Tap’d. She said that it is important for her to vote in this election because she wants someone in office who represents her and her interests.

“It is important for us to have someone with identify with,” Khabir said. “For me it is really about representation. The people who are leading us represent us in every way possible.”

Events like this one have been part of a larger effort by both parties to try and get young voters out to the poll.

Christian Hartley, president of Mercer’s Young Democrats and chair of Mobilize Mercer, said that the goal has been to educate young voters in how to vote instead of who to vote for.

“The more you raise awareness about voter engagement the more likely they are to say ‘alright I’ll go vote’ than telling them the day before,” Hartley said. “We do presentations on how to register and where to vote.”

John Longshore, president of the College Republicans, said that they have co-sponsored events with the Young Democrats and Mobilize Mercer including a watch party for the debates. Each said the event was well attended with over 125 people participating.

Longshore has also organized other events to give students a chance to understand who they are voting for and had many of his members attend the Trump rally in Macon.

“I have made the election the primary focus of the College Republicans,” Longshore said. “Connecting them with political campaigns, getting them in front of political leaders and local candidates.”

The pair were also part of a panel that discussed their candidates positions with Longshore representing Brian Kemp and Hartley talking for the Abrams side. Each side said that it was a good experience that helped inform voters. The events have been frequented by those on the fence about who to vote for.

Hartley said that the events have helped undecided voters choose a candidate.

“Someone asked around on if they were still undecided and they said no, which we thought made this event successful,” he said. “We put on an event that educated people to point that they felt they could make an informed decision.”

Joey Wozniak is a volunteer who has helped with some of events and voter education since he was student at Mercer University. He helped create “SoCon Votes” while at Mercer, a program that helps get students registered to vote.

He says that the key for youth voter turnout is to change the expectation around voting. The goal is to make voting something that is expected among all citizens, not just those who have typically had the easiest access to vote.

“... everyone wants more and more people to participate,” Wozniak said. “Now there are more and more people informed about the process.”

This story was originally published November 6, 2018 at 11:58 AM.