Pipers take the polls

Important information, resources and a voting guide for Hamline students on Election

Lucy Severson, News Reporter

In 2018, many Hamline students took to the polls for the midterm elections, thus earning the ALL IN Challenge “Best in Class National Award.”

This is an honor that reflects the Hamline Votes Committee value and goal of continuing to get all students to vote.

“Hamline University had the overall highest voting rate and the highest undergraduate voting rate at a private, 4-year institution of higher education,” the Hamline Votes Committee said in a statement to the Oracle. 

Hoping for a voter turnout like this, or better yet: hoping to surpass it, this election season the Hamline Votes Committee is running the #MidtermsMatter campaign which encourages Hamline students to go out and vote this election day, Nov. 8. 

Hamline Votes Committee is organizing to provide transportation (Hamline Vans) to the polling station as well as walking with students to polls from 7 a.m. -8 p.m.,” Nur Mood of the Wesley Center told the Oracle in an email. “The pickup location is Public Safety and the polling station is the Hamline Hi-Rise; 777 Hamline Ave N St. Paul, MN 55104.” 

Students with questions should visit the Hamline Votes table in Anderson Center on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays between 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Hamline Votes staff will be available to answer questions and help students register to vote. The online registration deadline is Oct. 18, however, voters will be able to register at their local polling place on Nov.  8. 

Jane Krentz, former Minnesota Senator and the Director of the McVay Youth Partnership at Hamline, detailed the importance of voting in a letter to the editor published in the Oracle on October 4. 

Elected officials at all levels make decisions that impact your lives every day and that will definitely impact your future,” Krentz said. “People fought and died for your right to vote. Please don’t squander it. It’s the first step toward creating a future that you believe in … Despite being a cliché it’s also true — Every Vote Counts!”