Gerald Sastra/The Cougar
While voter turnout in Texas primary elections is notoriously low, this year’s primaries brought the highest turnout rates since the past six midterm elections.
Some students said if it weren’t for the University’s on-campus voting, they wouldn’t have taken the time to vote.
Between classes and work, political science freshman Danielle Gomez wouldn’t have voted in this election. She believes the voting opportunities available on campus benefits students, allowing them to cast their vote without needing to travel to an entirely new location.
“My family and I being Mexican-born and/or Mexican-American, we understand the importance of voting as minorities,” Gomez said. “We talked about this election being particularly important because of the controversial policies put forward by conservatives.”
Voting on Election Day, political science senior Janice Sandoval brought her friends with her, making sure all of her registered friends are able to vote.
As a member of UH Democrats, Sandoval works to educate and register voters. She believes that making voting accessible to all harms no one.
“Making sure your voice is heard throughout the entire process is so important when we want to make tangible change in our communities and our state,” Sandoval said. “I make sure to vote in every election because I know my vote and my voice are important and matter. If it didn’t, people wouldn’t be working so hard to take it away.”
While Sandoval utilizes the on-campus voting opportunities, political science junior and advocacy director for Deeds Not Words Dawn Trevino believes the University could be doing more to encourage students to vote.
“If UH at least posted it on their social media, I feel that a lot more students would show up to vote,” Trevino said. “I also feel that the University should promote voting in general due to the significance it holds in our democracy.”
Public policy freshman JP Moreno said while not everyone they knew who wanted to vote was able to, those who found time said the campus voting was a good option since they didn’t need to travel.
“I had one specific candidate in mind that I wanted to vote for,” Moreno said. “I was happy to be a part of the ones this year.”
The general election takes place on Nov. 8 between current Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and former U.S. Senate and presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke.
