UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Between classes, homework, projects, extracurricular activities and everything else in between, students can barely find time to breathe, let alone go out and vote. But their votes shape the future of the country that they will experience. So how can Pennsylvania, and the U.S. as a whole, get out the youth vote?
That's where the Science Policy Society at Penn State can help. The student-run society will be running an Election Day Carpool Extravaganza, where vehicles will await students outside of the Pattee and Paterno Libraries and whisk them to the polls and back, free of charge.
“As students ourselves, we realize that between all the demands of undergraduate or graduate courses and research, students don’t have the time or ability to get to their off-campus polling locations," Thomas Nigl, president of the Science Policy Society. "Our event is aiming to remove the obstacles between students and voting so they can make their voices heard while still maintaining their busy schedule."
The carpool service will be taking place on Election Day, Nov. 6, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students will stand outside of the Pattee and Paterno Library on Curtin Road and the carpools will be divided into two loops, one running north and west of campus, and one running south and east of campus. Volunteers will be available to help students identify their polling location and the appropriate carpool to use.
The Science Policy Society is a graduate student-run organization that aims to promote interaction between science and public policy, as well as teaching researchers about the connection between their research and public policy.
For more information, visit the society’s website at: https://sites.psu.edu/psusciencepolicy.