LCC PTK Conducts in Voice Your Vote: Empowering One Voter at a Time Campaign

Lenoir Community College Omicron Rho Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa participated in a voter registration drive entitled Voice Your Vote: Empowering One Voter at a Time. The organization has conducted numerous activities to register students not previously registered, enabling them to "Voice Their Vote" in the November election.

The mission of Voice Your Vote is to equip civically engaged individuals to fight political lethargy through voter education and registration activities. As fewer and fewer Americans go to the polls to vote, the responsibility of those active in the political process becomes greater. This responsibility is to inform others of the importance to vote, and then empower them to make smart decisions with their vote.

Working with the Student Government Association and the director of the Learning Assistance Program, officers coordinated with freshman orientation instructors to meet with each individual class. Officers introduced Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society and its Voice Your Vote program to the new students. Voter registration forms were then provided to interested students, completed, and collected during the class.

In addition, email was sent to all LCC instructors detailing the Voice Your Vote program and offering the opportunity for an officer to meet with the instructor’s class. Several instructors requested the presentation, resulting in more students registering to vote.

The organization registered 89 students and community residents during the campaign. Other activities included manning a voter registration table at a concert sponsored by the SGA to welcome new and returning students to campus in September.

LCC also served as the host site for the 2004 Carolinas Regional Leadership Conference in September. As students, advisors, and guests registered for the conference, members of Omicron Rho asked everyone if they were registered to vote. If the response was "yes," a red, white, and blue ribbon with the Vote Smart logo was provided to be worn on the name tag for the duration of the conference.

For those not already registered, a form for either North Carolina or South Carolina was provided. After completing the appropriate form, the attendee was then given a Vote Smart ribbon. Of those attending the the conference, 98 percent were registered to vote.

To complete the Voice Your Vote campaign, the LCC chapter staffed voter registration tables at the recent candidates form held at LCC and sponsored by the History and Political Science Faculty and the Arts and Sciences Department.

LCC Phi Theta Kappa President Karen Stevenson talks to students about registering to vote in the upcoming election.