Students can request absentee ballots to vote in US Senate election

Doug Jones, a Democratic candidate, and Roy Moore, a Republican candidate, will face off in the special U.S. senate general election to fill U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ previous seat in the Alabama Senate.

“I think it’s super important for our generation to participate in voting,” said Sophia Hernandez, a senior psychology major from Miami.

The election will be held on Dec. 12, and students can register to vote in Troy until Monday, Nov. 27. If students would like to fill out an absentee ballot, ballot requests are open until Thursday, Dec. 7.

“Absentee voting makes it really easy to do this (letting your voice be heard) in college because you (students) can just fill out the required paperwork and submit it, and then all you have to do is mail your ballots,” Hernandez said.

According to the Pike County Board of Registrars website, a student at a college located outside the county of permanent residence qualifies as an absentee voter if he or she is registered elsewhere.

Hernandez requested a number of absentee ballots her freshmen year and said that she plans to vote absentee again.

“It’s up to us (students) to make a difference,” Hernandez said. “That starts with letting your voice be heard.”

Deborah Teal, chairwoman of the Board of Registrars, encourages college students to vote.

“Who we elect in today’s time is going to affect your future, and you (students) should have a say-so in what goes on in your future,” Teal said.

“We (students) are always talking about how we want change to come to this country and how we want things to be different and how we want to be better than our parents and the generations before,” Hernandez said. “If we’re not even willing to vote, then how can we expect those changes to happen?”

Students can visit pikecountyboardofregistrars.com to obtain an absentee ballot or visit sos.alabama.gov/alabama-votes/voter/register-to-vote to register to vote online.