New student organization MU Votes was created to inform Marshall University students about how to vote, when to vote and how important it is to have their voices heard. The group set up a table Tuesday, Sept. 25 in the Memorial Student Center to raise awareness for their organization as well as to get students involved with voting.

Paige Looney and Madison Parker, MU Votes officers, asked students what voting means to them and offered voter registration forms and absentee voting forms. They said the organization’s goal as a partner of national fellowship Campus Election Engagement Project is to raise awareness about the voting rights of students, as well as give them a resource to register to vote.

“We’ve handed out three or four voter registration forms today,” Parker, senior special education and political science major, said. “We’re just getting started. We are focusing on Marshall students because we have a huge election this year for the senate, and we have a huge congressional race. I think we need to get people out to vote, and let their voices be heard. This is a huge demographic, a huge election for us.”

Looney, junior history and political science major, said the organization has no political affiliations.

“We don’t do anything political, we are focused solely on registration and awareness,” Looney said. “We are the demographic that is most likely to not vote. This is the time where you start building those habits that keep you voting for life.”

MU Votes is continuing their initiative throughout the month of October. They can be contacted through @MarshallVotes on Twitter, Marshall U Votes on Facebook, and their email is [email protected]. MU Votes is looking for volunteers.

“Millennials are the least likely to vote, but they’re also incredibly passionate,” Looney said. “So if we can just connect that passion to consistent voting, we are going to have an interesting election.”

West Virginia state general elections are Nov. 6.

Hannah Graham can be contacted at graham155@marshall.edu.