For those who have yet to register to vote, the process has become relatively easy. Text \u201cvote\u201d to 384-367 and answer 10 questions through the\u00a0phone, which automatically submits registration forms. Hellovote, the program that launched this new process of voting registration, started on Thursday, September 22, and will remain open until the last day to register to vote in Hawaii, which is Monday, October 10.<\/p>\n
“Our nation is at a critical point,” said Jennifer Milliken, an active member of KCC chapter Alpha Kappa Psi, who\u00a0participated in the voter registration drive on campus. “We need to take this responsibility [voting] seriously. The election isn\u2019t about the candidates, it is about us<\/i> a people and who we are<\/i>. They [the elected officials] represent us. It is important to realize that it is our right to be represented, and this process is one of the avenues for our voices to be heard.\u201d<\/p>\n
The KCC chapter (also known as Alpha Kappa Psi) of the\u00a0Phi Theta Kappa honor society helped to steer students in the right direction when going about registration as a part of its\u00a0Honors in Action topic: “How the World Works: Global Perspectives.” In promotions of this new program, members of the honor society set up around campus either in front of the cafeteria or Lama Library, rallying eligible students to register to vote.<\/p>\n
Phi Theta Kappa registered 80 new voters\u00a0and gave out 301 voter registration forms on campus, according to Julie Rancilio, the faculty advisor to the honor society.<\/p>\n
Phi Theta Kappa decided to focus on voting as its Honors in Action topic because millennials are the largest\u00a0group of potential voters compared to all other generations. According to the Pew Research Center,\u00a0the number of registered\u00a0millennial voters have\u00a0significantly decreased since\u00a0the 2008 to 2012 elections. In 2008, only half the eligible millennials voted, while that number decreased to just 46 percent four years ago, according to Pew Research.<\/p>\n
According to U.S. Census data, more than 15 percent of Americans are still not registered to vote.<\/p>\n
If you have any further questions about how to register or of any alternative ways to do so besides via text, you can contact Phi Theta Kappa faculty advisor\u00a0Julie Rancilio at\u00a0rancilio@hawaii.edu, or visit\u00a0the Office of Elections<\/a><\/strong> website for more information.<\/p>\n