With the 2024 general election nearing, the national political climate runs rampant with polarization and partisanship. Despite this, Drake Democrats and Drake College Republicans have teamed up to bring a satellite voting location to campus.
Drake does not currently have an on-campus polling location. The current closest voting location is Lutheran Church of Hope+Elim at the corner of 25th and University Avenue. According to Drake Democrats Vice Chair Raya Hoppe, co-leader of the project, a lack of transportation and time in their schedule will make it difficult for some students to get to their polling places on Nov. 5. Hoppe believes this on-campus voting location will provide a solution.
“This is an easy way to [vote] after class if you have 15 minutes. I think it just makes it more accessible to college students, and we want to see those college students turn out to vote,” Hoppe said.
Hoppe said that, after a phone call with the Polk County auditor, they learned they needed 100 signatures from registered Polk County voters in order to have a satellite voting location on campus.
“We just walked around campus for the last two weeks trying to see if anyone was registered and would be interested in signing it,” Hoppe said.
At the end of the two weeks, Hoppe and Engelbrecht gave the petition to the county auditor’s office.
Dylan Engelbrecht, president of Drake College Republicans and the other co-leader of this project, said not only did they get enough signatures; they far exceeded the required amount.
“It just shows energy,” Engelbrecht said. “No matter what party you’re a part of or who your candidate is, we’re coming together as students to fulfill our civic duty to vote.”
Hoppe attributes the success of the petition to bipartisanship as well as campus being politically active.
“Drake is pretty politically active, and I think students want to be involved in that, especially with it being a presidential election year,” Hoppe said. “I know a lot of people that were trying to find a way to get involved, and this is just an easy way.”
Engelbrecht also believes that making this project a bipartisan effort was important.
“It’s important to show campus that it’s not just one party trying to get people to vote, or whatever scenario they think,” Engelbrecht said. “It’s just important that we come together as students to show the rest of Drake’s campus that we’re working together to do this, and that all are welcome, and we want everyone to vote at Drake.”
Engelbrecht acknowledged that though not every student will be able to utilize this satellite voting location, many outside the Drake community will benefit from the location. The location will be open to any Polk County resident who registers to vote at the satellite location.
Engelbrecht said a lot of students, especially those who are new to Drake, are registered to vote back at home because they are more attuned with the local and statewide issues where they live. He advised them to make sure they know how to vote.
“Get in contact with your county auditor or look on their secretary of state’s website to find out, ‘How do you request absentee ballots?’ or ‘When’s the deadline to sign up to vote?’” Engelbrecht said.
Like many other Drake students, this is Hoppe’s first time voting in a presidential election. She said she believes that this election is very important.
“I would just encourage people to be educated on their vote, watch the news, watch the debates and make a decision that’s best for them,” Hoppe said.
Both Drake Democrats and Drake College Republicans plan on holding events related to the 2024 election, including watch parties for the vice presidential debate and a voter registration drive. Registered Polk County voters can expect communication from Drake University and the Polk County auditor’s office regarding the satellite voting location.
