I am replying to, as well as stating some additional facts, to the Opinion Letter written by Grace McCord and Madison Albers in reference to opening a polling site on the Fort Hays State University campus.
When individuals register to vote one of the pieces of information that is needed is your place of residence as this determines your polling location. Hays is made up of wards and precincts. The area that is around the campus area is comprised of Ward 1 Precinct 1 and 2. One big misconception is, and I hope by this letter I will be able to better educate everyone, just because you are student at FHSU does not necessarily mean that you can vote on campus because your poll site is determined by your address.
When the polling location was located just a few blocks from campus (601 Main) it had the lowest number of registered voters (1,338) and the lowest voter turnout for Election Day. I went back to the last 10 elections and the average turnout was 9.65 percent. Students that are not actual residents of Ellis County can get an advance mail ballot from their hometown county clerk so they can vote on candidates and/or questions that are on the ballot in their own hometown. Students that are from Ellis County either live at home so their polling location is determined by their parents’ address or if they don’t live at home, their address would have to be in Ward 1 Precinct 1 or 2 to vote on campus. For example, McCord nor Albers would be able to vote on campus. McCord’s address is not in Ward 1 Precinct 1 or 2, and Albers is not a registered voter in Ellis County.
If there would be a polling site on campus that would mean that each and every student that was on campus on Election Day would have to have to live in Ward 1 Precinct 1 or 2. I retrieved stats from my voter registration system and using the ages of 18-24 and living in Ward 1 Precinct 1 or 2, I have 242 registered voters. This number doesn’t tell how many of these registrants are students, or if they are an actual resident of Ellis County and do not attend FHSU. It does tell me, however, it is not economically feasible to open a polling location on campus at this time.
I wholeheartedly agree with McCord and Albers that democracy depends on each of us to keep it healthy. Voting is a civic duty we have as citizens of the United States and I firmly believe if anyone, not just students, want to vote they would find a way to vote whether it is in their backyard, or across town.
There are three different ways to vote: Early voting at the Administration Center at 718 Main for two weeks prior to any election. The Administration Center is just a few blocks from campus and anyone can vote there regardless of their address; one can request an advance mail ballot be mailed to them; or they can go to their polling location on Election Day. In fact, in working with McCord and Albers I offered to contact McCord prior to early voting so that she can inform all the students that early voting has commenced and direct them to the Administration Center which is within walking distance of campus.
I plan on continuing to work with McCord and Albers to find ways to bring up the number of registered voters of students and find ways to encourage them to vote so that I can revisit this at another time because the increased numbers would show that it would be economically feasible to open a polling site. If any resident or student in Ellis County has any questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office at 785-628-9410, or personally come by the Administration Center at 718 Main Street.