Voting is one way a U.S. citizen can do their civic duty and influence who the next commander-in-chief will be. 

With voting season underway, BGSU Votes and other on-campus organizations are trying to make students aware of the voting dates this year in hopes student votes will make an impact in this year’s elections. 

The presidential primary voting will be held on Tuesday, March 17, a date that falls during BGSU’s spring break. BGSU Votes and other organizations are pushing voters to send in their absentee ballots and participate in early voting.  

BGSU Votes and other on-campus organizations have spent the past few months posting announcements, talking to students at union tables and hosting events to help students learn how, where and when to vote. This is so they can provide students and faculty with as much information as needed to successfully vote when each voting day arrives. 

BGSU Center of Public Impact Director V. Jane Rosser said it is important to provide as much information as possible to potential voters because voting is so important.

“Our focus is being an unbiased independent source, and partnerships with diverse groups have helped us make it easy for students to know how to vote, when to vote and much more,” she said. 

Their goal is to get as much information out to the student body as possible without having a political agenda, as BGSU Votes is a nonpartisan organization. The more information students have as election day approaches, the more likely they are to actually vote, according to the Center for American Progress. 

Rosser said providing this information helps students be well-informed whether it’s their first time voting or not. 

“We are trying to make sure that students have the right information, for many students this is their first time registering to vote, or the first time they’re going to vote, and they have decisions to make, so it’s best for someone to be well informed,” she said. 

Besides providing information to potential voters,  BGSU Votes is also assisting students in voting by providing rides on Tuesday, March 10 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to the Wood County Courthouse, so students registered in Bowling Green can vote before going home for break. 

The BGSU Votes website encourages taking advantage of this opportunity. 

“The Ohio Primary Election is during BGSU’s Spring Break this year and BGSU Votes encourages students to early vote before you go on break,” the website reads. 

For more information on student voting in Bowling Green or BGSU Votes, visit www.bgsu.edu/center-for-public-impact/programs-and-partnerships/bgsu-votes.