Various locations throughout the city will host daylong registration drives to register as many potential voters as possible by tonight’s midnight deadline.
Thundercloud Subs and Blockbuster Video stores around the city will host a majority of the 41 major voter registration drives in Austin. Registration locations will open at 8 a.m. and will close midnight.
Jennifer Martinez, assistant manager of the Blockbuster Video on Guadalupe Street, said she expects to see an additional 1,000 people in her store.
To benefit from such an increase on a traditionally slow business day, Martinez said local businesses will set up tents outside the video rental store. Students will also have various opportunities to register today on campus as various student groups will participate in “Hook the Vote,” a registration drive that starts at 10 a.m. and ends at midnight.
The drive, hosted by SG, UT Votes, College Republicans, University Democrats and the Students Events Center, will launch a registration competition among 30 student organizations, said Cathy Setzer, project coordinator for UT Votes.
“You won’t be able to walk 100 feet without running into registers,” Setzer said.
The event is bipartisan and will feature guest speakers on the importance of voting, said Ryan Ellis, president of College Republicans.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., student organizations will set up tables on the West Mall as well as mobile registers near bus stops, the law school, Jester Center and Gregory Gym, Setzer said.
From 7 p.m. to midnight, there will be a nonstop registration drive on the Gregory Gym Plaza. Musical groups will perform and free food and ice cream will be handed out, said Emma Vernon, events coordinator for University Democrats.
“It’s going to be really fun to get people to vote,” Vernon said.
Be the first to comment on this article!