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GVSU Helps Over 700 Students Vote in the 2020 Election

November 17, 2020

GVSU Helps Over 700 Students Vote in the 2020 Election

This year, over 700 students were serviced by the Allendale Township Satellite Clerk’s Office that was hosted right here on campus. In partnership with the Community Service Learning Center, the Satellite Clerk’s Office helped students become more civically engaged. Students were able to register to vote, re-register using their Allendale address, request an absentee ballot, and even vote right in Kirkhof.

On the county level, 76.5% of Ottawa residents and 72.25% of Kent residents turned out to vote this year. This is out of a population of 221,421 registered voters in Ottawa and 501,117 registered voters in Kent. In the City of Grand Rapids, the percentage of voters who turned out was approximately 65.52%. In Ottawa County, the percentage of voters increased from 2016; 73.1% of registered voters in Ottawa participated in voting during the last presidential election.

This election in particular caused a lot of tension within the community. Students who attended election panels at GVSU reported feeling stress and concern related to the election. Some students feel relieved, some feel distressed, and others are concerned about increasingly wide rifts between family members and friends with whom they are unable to share common dialogue. For tips and info related to having healthy discussions with those who disagree with you, check out the Padnos/Sarosik Civil Discourse Program.

Remember that your voice does matter, and voting is your civic duty! Stay up to date on future elections and find ways to stand up for what you believe in. To find out more about civic engagement at GVSU and how you can get more involved, check out the Community Service Learning Center website. 

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Page last modified November 17, 2020