By Rowan Behm
The Scene staff
With the general election less than a month away, many Forest Park students are looking forward to casting ballots.
Business major Rebecca Hernandez, 19, has never voted before.
“I’m excited,” she said. “It’s kind of a first-time thing for me. I haven’t really gotten into looking at (issues and policies) yet, but I should be soon.”
Charli Whitlock, 20, another first-time voter, has been doing some research.
The behavior health studies major is particularly concerned about Project 2025, a 900-page collection of policy proposals prepared by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.
Many people believe some of the proposals will become law of the land if Republicans are elected.
“It’s important to vote, and it’s important to have your voice be heard,” Whitlock said. “People’s rights are at risk.”
The election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 5. Absentee voting is taking place now in Missouri. Early voting starts Oct. 22.
Some Forest Park students hadn’t registered by the beginning of fall semester, so registration efforts were in full swing by groups that visited campus. One was the League of Women Voters of Metro St. Louis.
Mary Shapiro, co-chair of its college voter registration committee, operated tables twice this semester instead of the usual one time.
“(Students are) realizing more and more that their vote is important,” she said.
By the end of September, the group had registered 150 students, faculty and staff at Forest Park.
That compared to 20 last March, before the April primary election in Missouri.
“More people are wanting to vote because of the controversy,” Shapiro said. “Definitely, the presidential election, and also, you know, some of the amendments for the Missouri Constitution.”
For example, voters will decide whether to pass Amendment 2 to legalize sports betting; Amendment 3 to eliminate a near-total abortion ban; and Proposition A to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
The group didn’t just register voters. It also educated them on issues and policies, so they could form opinions.
“I think it is important to make sure that there is a clear consensus about these issues,” Shapiro said. “All organizations, including the League of Women Voters of Metro St. Louis, are doing bipartisan registration.
“We are always very happy when a student comes up to us, and one did at Forest Park last semester, and they said they were Republican, and we supported that.”
Behavioral health support major Morgan Latham, 26, has voted in the past, despite feeling that it was a “lose-lose situation” in terms of candidate choice.
Latham feels differently about this election.
“I’m not really for Kamala or against Trump, but I think Project 2025 is terrifying,” Latham said. “It has been so hard to care before when I was younger.
“Now I have the maturity to understand the power that the people have. It really isn’t about the candidates.”
Any Missouri resident 18 or older is eligible to vote in elections. But the registration deadline for the Nov. 5 election was Oct. 9.
According to Shapiro, the registration process is easier than most people think. You simply fill out a form, which only takes about five minutes whether it’s the paper or online version.
“Our voter registration process starts 95% of the time with us showing the person a QR code that takes them directly to the voter registration page of the Secretary of State’s office,” Shapiro said.
From there, the website walks people through a few questions, such as name and address. They need not declare their party affiliation as Republican or Democrat.
Online voter registration can be processed within 24 hours, Shapiro said, whereas paper registration takes longer.
Many students, faculty and staff who vote do it because they feel strongly about particular issues.
General transfer studies student Jahysriel Merritt, 20, voted in the last general election, partly because he wanted to help legalize recreational marijuana in Missouri.
“As far as the presidential vote, as long as they are lowering those gas prices, housing prices and car prices, I’m cool,” he said.
General transfer studies student Alexis Lee, 20, a first-time voter, is concerned about the aftermath of the upcoming election and whether there will be a peaceful transfer of power.
Lee pointed out that Republicans and Democrats are very passionate groups of people who have trouble finding middle ground on many issues.
“I don’t really know if it’s going to go very smoothly,” she said. “I do think voting is important though, because if you want to see change in the country, change for the people you care about, for the people around you, you need to vote.”
