Issue date: 9/20/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Steve Berry Freshman David Long registers to vote Wednesday in the Morris University Center. The registration drive continues through Thursday.

Junior Alfonzo Jones signed the voter registration form and asked if there was anything else he had to do to become a registered voter.

Helping Jones to register, Junior Erica McDonald said no and told Jones he was finished.

"It was very easy. It took about two minutes," Jones said. "If I would have known that I would have done it along time ago."

Jones, 21, has been eligible to register to vote for the past three years, but never did. With a little convincing from his friend McDonald, who was working the voter registration booth for community service, Jones decided to register.

The voter registration drive on campus, sponsored by Student Leadership Development Program and Raise Your Voice, started Tuesday and will continue through Thursday. Those who want to register to vote can sign up at the booth from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. located on the first floor of the Morris University Center next to the Information Desk.

Jones said he was looking forward to participating in the upcoming elections.

The first national election Jones can participate in is the primary elections.

The primary elections were moved from April 2008 to Feb. 5, 2008, according to Suzanne Kutterer-Siburt, assistant director of the Kimmel Leadership Center.

The current voter registration drive will be the last opportunity to register to vote on campus before the primaries, Kutterer-Siburt said.

However, if Jones wants to participate in the primary elections he will have to align himself with one of the political parties.

A registered voter can only vote on one of the ballots in Illinois; however, the voter does not have to be a registered member of the party to vote on the party ballot, according to Jim McDermott, Deputy Registrar and Accountant for the MUC.

Those who missed the voter registration drive can register at the city clerk's office, the county clerk's office and the township office in Edwardsville. Voter registration is usually available in similar offices in other towns.

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