Students urged to vote in Nov. 3 election

Phi Beta Sigma and Student Government have been working to host voter registration drives for Truman State University students. 

These voter registration drives have been taking place every Tuesday outside the Student Union Building, starting Aug. 25. Each drive has had virtual options available, like a QR code linked to the website. 

“We’ve had about 15 [new voters] registered every time, but that might be a low estimate because some people take the papers and leave,” Daniel Terry, president of the Mu Tau Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc, said. 

At these voter registration drives students were able to register to vote, request an absentee ballot and update their voter registration.

When election day comes on Nov. 3, students who live on-campus and are registered to vote in Kirksville will be eligible to vote in the SUB from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Students who live off campus and are registered to vote in Kirksville will need to vote at their assigned polling place, which can be found by calling the County Clerk’s Office.

“We always encourage you to give us a call if you have any questions,” Adair County Clerk Sandy Collop said. 

Students who are registered in their hometown may contact their local election authority to request an absentee ballot. 

The last day to register to vote in the November election was Oct. 7. 

When voting in person, students need to bring some form of identification, such as a driver’s license, voter registration or student ID. 

Collop said the County Clerk’s Office has made a significant effort to make voting safe. 

“We have purchased sneeze guards and we have masks for our poll workers,” Collop said. “We have hand sanitizer, and we have styluses that they sign the polls with, and we have to sanitize those markers that they mark the ballots with, so those are cleaned constantly throughout the day so everybody has a fresh stylus and a fresh pen to work with when they’re voting.”