Rock the Vote on Tumblr

In America today, a college student can look up the location of a local pizza joint, read reviews, and place an order without taking a step outside. Technology has paved the way for limitless opportunities—ordering a pie is just the beginning. But there’s one space where technology is lagging far behind: elections.

There’s no doubt young people are engaged and tuned in to important issues. The challenge, however, is finding out how to take action. On Virginia Tech’s campus, for example, students had to vote at one of two precincts, and the line dividing the two was split right down the middle of campus. According to The Roanoke Times:

The old voting map even split one dormitory between precincts, with residents on one side of a hallway voting in one place and those on the other side elsewhere.

These policies are confusing and often inhibit voter turnout. When it comes to voting, we often don’t have the same ease and accessibility that we’ve come to expect in 2014. Dominoes Pizza got it down. Why is government lagging behind? 

Well, there is good news!

After a vote in Montgomery County on Monday, election supervisors agreed to change the system and make it more convenient for college students. They are setting up two on-campus precincts to make voting more accessible for Virginia Tech’s 9,000 residential students.

Former SGA President Brent Ashley, in an interview with the Collegiate Times, said:

In addition to being a more convenient location for students, the on-campus precincts are also predicted to cut down on the long lines and wait times.

According to the article, the effort was led by a non-partisan student coalition with representatives from the Young Democrats, College Republicans, and Young Americans for Liberty. Campus Vote Project provided resources and worked with the students.

Brent Ashley and the students at Virginia Tech prove that young people are passionate about change and want to make voting easier. Technology has outpaced our voting policies for far too long. It’s time to close the gap and bring our elections into the 21^st century.

(Photo Credit)