AUGUSTA, GA. (WJBF)- For out-of-state students, voting may not come as easily. Questions like where or how to vote might be the first thing that comes to mind.
“We have students from all over the country, so yes, there are all kinds of different students at Augusta University. A lot of different students from, I believe almost half the students at Augusta University are not from the Augusta area. So, we have a wide variety of students,” Political Science professor Dr. Gregg Murray said.
Some students who aren’t from the Augusta area, but go to school here, feel that they aren’t able to make decisions or have opinions on local elections.
“When it comes to us being out of state we kind of get limited information– we don’t know how impactful we can be being that we’re not even from here. And we don’t want to kind of make judgements about situations that won’t pertain to us. I’m in Augusta for school, but not enough to leave a lasting impact as far as community changes,” Augusta University student Zyare Orr said.
Dr. Murray says it’s up to the student to decide if they want to participate in local elections.
“For college students, I think they have to think through where they want to maintain their roots. Do they want to maintain their roots in their hometown, or do they want to lay down roots or put down roots in Augusta.”
It’s possible that out-of-state students are still registered to vote in their hometown.
“But the important thing, of course, is to remember that when election day comes, you absentee ballot or you vote early– you make sure you get your vote cast,” Dr. Murray said.
People, everywhere, are encouraged to vote–even those who may not know where to start. While it’s too late to register to vote for the May 24th primaries, there is still time to register to vote for the November elections.
For more information how to register to vote visit.
