Exercising the right to vote is one of the most important parts of citizenship in America.
But a person cannot vote until they’re registered.
BruinVote is Belmont University’s personal election tool, granting students a straightforward and interactive hub to get ready and register for the upcoming presidential election.
The site is accessible through the MyBelmont portal and turns a difficult process into one that is easily digestible for busy students.
The system is meant to serve a one-stop-option to learn how to vote, said Carter Barnett, the president of Belmont’s Student Government Association.
“Belmont SGA is funding a website-system called BruinVote, and through that, you can get registered to vote. You can check your voter registration status, your state's deadlines for absentee ballots, or your absentee ballot application there to make your voting plan,” Barnett said.
When students complete ‘actions’ on the site, they rack up points which can be redeemed for prizes, such as half-off a Lyft ride.
The system takes work off busy students’ desks to attempt to make navigating the voting season a simpler process.
Originally from Georgia, senior Kristen Newstreet used BruinVote for the first time recently to register in Tennessee.
“It was super easy to navigate and actually had a lot more functions on it than I thought it would have,” Newstreet said.
At Belmont’s Battle of the Bands, BruinVote had its own table - complete with bracelet making materials so students could create their own little reminders - to vote.
The idea for the table came from MTV’s Rock the Vote, where popular artists used to encourage young people to get out and exercise their right to vote, said Belmont professor Jen Duck, who worked alongside SGA.
The table emphasized the importance of voting while remaining nonpartisan, not telling people who to vote for but instead offering them the tools to navigate a difficult and possibly unfamiliar process.
“I think it gets really complicated, even if you're in-state, to know where to go and how to vote. It gets even more complicated when you're from another state to know that you have to get an application to register absentee. You have to have all these forms and information,” said Duck.
For non-Belmont readers, information on how to vote can be found on their home state’s Secretary of State website.
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This article was written by Kaya Fagerstrom
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