SAN ANTONIO – The nonprofit MOVE Texas is focusing on increasing youth participation in elections and is collaborating with Texas A&M University-San Antonio.
“I’m out here every day, registering folks,” Dylan Villalon, Bexar County regional coordinator for MOVE Texas said.
MOVE Texas became a student organization last year and has since registered hundreds of students to vote.
Villalon leads the organization and says students are interested in different issues.
“Climate change, issues like women’s rights, issues like criminal justice,” Villalon said.
In 2020, MOVE Texas says it registered over 50,000 new young voters.
“I encourage students to get educated about voting. To really learn the importance of their votes because a lot of the issues that students face right now are systemic issues and voting is the only systemic solution, we have right now to a lot of the issues that we face,” Villalon said.
The university’s Mays Center for Experiential Learning and Community Engagement has been collaborating with MOVE Texas. They’ve passed out information about early voting deadlines, national voter registration day, election day and more.
“I think it’s just really important to make sure that the students voice is heard,” Aaron Guerrero, civic engagement coordinator, of Texas A&M University-San Antonio said.
Student Ramon Orendain welcomes organizations like MOVE Texas on campus.
Orendain says he registered to vote in 2019 and cares about different issues.
“I care about the environment and making sure that we can all live in peace in this world,” Orendain said.