N.C. A&T "J" students cover the 2008 elections

Voter Registration

By James Cameron

November 4 is just 5 weeks away and it's a busy time for county election officials. Debbie Williamson, a staff committee worker for The Guilford County Board of Elections explains that her job is hectic, and will remain so through election day.

  "At these times we are scrambling to make sure citizens are registered to vote.  We have been calling everyone in the city of Greensboro, N.C. to make sure the people are registered to vote, we may get some nasty comments from people but in the end it is all worth it because everyones' vote counts."

New voter registration has risen 70 percent since the last presidential election as many Americans are beginning to see the magnitude of this election. In Guilford County alone there are approximately 14,000 new voters and just last week 1,479 new voters registered. Many new voters are young college students who are voting for the first time.

John Wilks,18,  is a newly-registered voter works as a volunteer  to get other students registered. "I never really thought about becoming registered to vote, I always had the mindset of my vote doesn't count but it does." This year I am going to go out to the polls and cast my vote on who I want to lead this country because not doing so will just be a lost cause for me." He plans to vote for Barack Obama. 

Felicia Jones, 21, and a Republican, from Guildford County, plans on voting for John McCain. She says “I feel like it is so much pressure to vote, if you don’t vote then you die is the motto in some cases.”

“I know voting is important but if you don’t want to vote then you should not be asked every time you walk down the street. My thing is that if you want to vote then vote if not then don’t, I have seen many people come by my house from Guildford County Board of Elections Committee staff to UNCG and N.C. A&T State University students and I am just sick of it."

This election is going down to the wire as both candidates have great stand points on the issues. It is important that everyone votes so there will not be any complaints as to who is elected the next president.