MIAMI, Fla. -- Barry University has joined more than 50 colleges and universities across the nation in partnering with TurboVote, an online service that facilitates voter registration and the voting process. The partnership, made possible through a grant from NASPA (Student Affairs Professionals in Higher Education), is the result of Barry’s Campus Democracy Project’s (CDP) efforts to increase civic activity at Barry. The Division of Student Affairs co-sponsored the venture in support of the university’s involvement with the Civic Leadership and Democratic Engagement (CLDE) initiative.
TurboVote is a project of Democracy Works, a nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to the idea that voting should fit into our lives. Meant to assist in the voting process, TurboVote makes voting easy through a simultaneous online voter registration and ballot request process that takes minutes to complete.
“This is a great opportunity for our students and everyone on Barry’s campus,” said Sean Foreman, PhD, associate professor of political science and a Co-Chair of Barry’s Campus Democracy Project. If you are not registered to vote, here is an easy way to get registered. And for those who are already registered to vote, like me, you can sign up to get text or email alerts about election dates.”
Using a unique Barry University page, students are able to register to vote by answering a few simple questions. TurboVote can be accessed via smart phone, tablet, laptop or PC — any device with Wi-Fi. Users who register will receive a hard copy of their completed registration form in the mail, already stamped and addressed. To complete registration, students just have to sign the form and drop it in the mail.
In addition to its easy voter registration, TurboVote users can request absentee ballots directly from their state's election office and get reminders about upcoming local, state, and national elections. Even people already registered to vote can sign up for TurboVote to request absentee ballots or election reminders.
“Students who have already registered to vote through Barry’s page have found the process extremely quick and easy,” said Courtney Berrian, CCSI associate director and CDP co-chair. “Sudents appreciate the assistance TurboVote offers with voting here in Florida, but are also happy to find that TurboVote can help them vote in their home states.”
The Florida Division of Elections supervises voter registration in the state of Florida. There is an October 6 deadline for registration to be eligible to vote in the Nov. 6 general election.
TurboVote is a nonpartisan 501(c) (3) nonprofit and has received funding from the Sunlight Foundation, Google, the Knight Foundation, Weinmann Charitable Trusts, Further Foundation, Youth Engagement Fund, and individual donors via Kickstarter.
Those interested in using the service can visit Barry’s page at: https://barry.turbovote.org/register. For more information, please contact the CDP organizing committee through the Center for Community Service Initiatives at service@barry.edu,