CARLISLE, Pa. — Tuesday is National Voter Registration Day, and while the voter registration deadline in Pennsylvania ends on October 24th, Dickinson College in Carlisle, Cumberland County, wanted to get the ball rolling early.
Faculty, the office of the college president, and the campus group Dickinson Votes organized the event on Tuesday. Volunteers were on campus to help students and faculty register to vote and troubleshoot common pitfalls that could occur.
Organizers said once all the registrations are completed and collected, they transport the forms over to the county Elections Office.
Sarah Niebler, associate professor of political science and one of the leaders of Dickinson Votes, said the event was a way to help the campus community understand the importance of local and state elections.
"Dickinson Votes is committed to not only helping students register to vote, but also to letting them know who the candidates are," said Neibler, "and providing them with nonpartisan information about what those candidates stand for as we get closer to the elections."
Senior and last-year's student leader of Dickinson Votes, Carry Becher, agrees. She said being apart of the campus means students and faculty are a part of a larger community, and must take local politics seriously.
"it is important to vote where you live, and we do live here the majority of the year," said Becher, "it is important being involved in state elections and local elections, because they do impact us."
The voter registration event was from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and was accompanied with music, food, and drinks.