Students find voting help at www.collegevote.org

With less than two months until the 2004 presidential election, students have a lot weighing on their minds. Besides deciding who to vote for, they must decide how to vote. To answer this need, http://collegevote.org was established. The Web site was implemented to help college students and their educators understand the voting process. The Web site includes sections on voter registration deadlines and absentee ballot information.\nSophomore Sarah Reed said she thinks the site sounds like a great idea.\n"I definitely want to vote but don't know where to get information on it," Reed said. "I think this is a great resource for students."\nThe Web site has a goal of greater voter participation. It asks visitors "What's stopping you from voting?" citing that voting rights for women and ethnic minorities were won through hard effort and pressure on the government.\n"Voting is an important right and everyone should exercise it," sophomore Rachel Key said. "I know what I need to do but I know many of my friends don't."\nOne of the more well-known features of the Web site is an online voter registration feature which works with Rock the Vote. Many students don't have access to a car at college, so online registration can make voting more convenient. \nVisitors can also read commentaries related to student voting rights to help them understand just how precious voting is.\n"Voting is an important right," sophomore Trisha Johnson said. "I know that I want to vote but I wasn't sure how to do absentee ballots. Now that I know it will make the whole process easier."\nJohnson also likes the idea of the articles provided on the site to help students understand the process better.\nThat is another goal of Noreen O'Conner, one of www.collegevote.org's founders.\n"It is important for college students to understand that a strong democracy is dependent upon the informed participation of its citizens," O'Connor said. "Through the CollegeVote project we want to encourage democratic involvement, and help students learn to see themselves as people who can have an impact upon the world."\nKey is much more relaxed about the whole voting process after visiting the Web site.\n"I really think I will be more relaxed about voting when November comes," Key said. "If I were flustered on Election Day about what to do, I think it would diminish the impact my vote has to myself. I feel like my vote will mean more."\n-- Contact staff writer Cecelia Wolford at cwolford@indiana.edu.