SAN ANTONIO – What began last spring by focusing on the U.S. Census has transitioned to preparing Trinity University students to vote in the November presidential election.
The Census-Voter Engagement Task Force was created by students and faculty to encourage participation in both.
“The students are taking the lead saying, ‘This is important for us, the role we play in the community and who we are as citizens,,'" said Juan Sepulveda, Ph.D., a member of the task force.
Also a member of the task force is Brian Yancelson, a San Antonio sophomore majoring in communications with a double minor in sports management and political science.
“I’m very passionate about politics and getting people to vote,” Yancelson said.
Yancelson also said he was motivated by the fact that so many Trinity students are taking online courses.
“With everybody being across the country, some people coming to campus, some people not,” Yancelson said he was concerned not as many would vote.
He said the task force would be a centralized effort that could reach them.
“We’re seeing responses to all of our emails and our social media posts,” Yancelson said. “Right now, at the end of September into October, things are really going to start picking up.”
Sepulveda said not only are students registering to vote, students are signing up to be poll workers and deputy registrars.
Yanelson said he’s passing along his enthusiasm for the democratic process to those closest to him.
“My family wasn’t really that into politics until I started getting involved,” he said. “Now they’re always talking about politics.”
November will be Yancelson’s first presidential election.