Lane College athletics will host a non partisan voter registration drive

Lane College’s athletic department will host a voter registration drive this upcoming weekend, and the Vice President of Student affairs tells me this is an excellent way to reach a younger audience.

“Definitely. If these people are the leaders and get the degree, they will be the leaders; the supervisors will be the preachers. If they don’t stress the importance of voting, we have failed,” said Daryl Mcgee, Vice President of Student Affairs at Lane College.

The event is the last leg of The I’m Black, and I vote tour for The Equity Alliance, a non-partisan organization based in Nashville. Sarita Alston, the organizer of west Tennessee events, says the drive is open to the public.

“We are aiming to increase voter turn out voter registration as a whole, but we want to make sure that we reach all populations. We do hope to increase our level of registration and turn out amongst college students,” said Alston.

Studies show that older Americans are more likely to cast a ballot.

“What we know about voting blocks and turn out is that older populations vote early and often in every election,” said Alston.

However, for the election in November, there may be a different outcome. A national poll conducted by the institute of politics at Harvard Kennedy school shows 63 percent of Americans ranging from age 18 to 29 say they will vote. In 2016, it was 47 percent.

Due to the cancellation of sports activities resulting from COVID-19, Derrick Burroughs, the athletic director, says this a good community movement for the Lane Dragons.

“This is the first time the seasons have been canceled since I can remember, so right now, this is a perfect time,” said Burroughs.

The voter registration drive will be in the gym on October fourth from noon until two pm.