In light of Super Tuesday, the attention of the presidential race turned to Texas. With students who are from many parts of the country, Baylor holds a large number of students who are not registered to vote in Waco.
Students involved in the Baylor Democrats and Baylor College Republicans partnered in January to raise awareness among students for the election. Medford, Ore., senior Micah Furlong, president of the Baylor Democrats, encouraged students to get involved with programs that are supportive of voting, like the NAACP.
“We encouraged people to get involved in the campaign no matter what side they were campaigning on,” Furlong said. “Our club has officially not endorsed a candidate because we don’t want to split the decision, but I know there were a lot of people on both sides who were going to be very interested in what happens [Tuesday night].”
The students worked to ensure that students were given information on how to vote as residents of a different state or county than McLennan, and what steps to take in order to ensure a higher rate of voting. For example, those who are from out of state have the ability to request an absentee vote for any election held in their native county. It is a relatively simple and short process, said Rachel Oury, president of Baylor College Republicans.
Oury worked with her organization to encourage voting by hosting watch parties for debates and primaries in other states. The group, aside from the work done in partnership with the Baylor Democrats, works to reach out to those who were less politically active.
“I think its important that menials recognize the role they play in selecting our nation’s next leader, and more so the future of this nation,” Oury said. “I think it is important that they vote for a candidate that they think aligns with their values, and not only their values, but also the values that this country was built on.”
According to a poll on Twitter, a majority vote of students planned to or did vote in the election. Oury attended voting at the Waco Convention Center and saw a large number of college students.
“I saw a lot of our members within the line and a lot of Baylor students, so that was encouraging to see,” Oury said. “The line was about an hour long and a lot of students stuck it out and voted. “
Hillary Clinton and Ted Cruz are the official winners of the Texas primary, with Hillary receiving 120 delegates and Cruz gaining 32 delegates.
“Bernie supporters should not give up, because Hillary is now being forced to consider the fact that young people are demanding a liberal candidate and she has to be one that represents us,” Furlong said. “So Bernie has helped to move her in that direction.”
