A nonpartisan student group dedicated to increasing voter turnout among Stanford students has released “The Ultimate Sept. 14 CA Recall Election Guide” to help voters understand the ballot and cast their votes.
StanfordVotes helps students to register to vote, check their registration status, receive absentee ballots and get information about candidates and issues. This fall, Emily Handsel, a sophomore and co-director of StanfordVotes, hopes students will turn to the website for information about the upcoming recall election.
“Recall elections are particularly confusing for younger voters because we haven’t experienced one yet,” she said. “We wanted to make those instructions easy to understand, especially given there is so much misinformation on social media about the recall.”
The website provides links to 10 ballot information websites, including BallotReady, which aggregates content from candidates’ websites, social media, press, endorsers and board of elections for comprehensive, nonpartisan information about candidates and referendums. There’s also a link to TurboVote, an online voter registration service Stanford has partnered with to help students vote in every local, state and national election.
“The already-difficult processes of registering to vote and casting a ballot can be made even more complex for college students, many of whom are first-time voters and living away from home,” said Cameron Lange, co-director of StanfordVotes. “Emily and I hope that the website can serve as a one-stop-shop for voting resources and information to minimize confusion and promote civic engagement within the Stanford community.”
To increase the reach of their registration drive, StanfordVotes invites everyone to download one of its colorful Zoom backgrounds from its website. Each one is illustrated with a stylized palm tree, including three images with “My Superpower is Voting” mottos.
StanfordVotes is always looking for more members who are passionate about civic engagement. Interested students should DM the group on Twitter @stanfordvotes or fill out the online form on the website to be contacted by a member of the team.