August 16, 2012

Wayne State among four Southeast Michigan universities to offer TurboVote service

Wayne State University is among four Southeast Michigan colleges and universities to partner with TurboVote, a national service that aims to make voting as convenient as renting a Netflix DVD.

Wayne State joins the University of Michigan-Dearborn, Marygrove College and Eastern Michigan University in offering the service to students, faculty and staff.

Adham Aljahmi, a junior and government chair of the WSU Student Senate, is coordinating the launch and implementation on campus.

“With everything going on in Detroit right now, students need to have a voice,” Aljahmi said. “TurboVote helps amplify our voice in Lansing and D.C. by helping more students vote in more of their elections.”

TurboVote simplifies the voting process so voters can focus on what’s important – the candidates and questions on the ballot.

The service works for every election – special, primary or general, from school board to federal. For every election, TurboVote will send timely text messages and email reminders to users who have signed up for the service to ensure they register or request a vote-by-mail application on time and never miss a deadline. TurboVote also offers reminders to users who vote at their polling places.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is funding the development of TurboVote’s platform. The service –which has partnered with 26 education institutions across the country– will now be easily accessible in Southeast Michigan to more than 60,000 students.

“TurboVote is a great voting resource,” said WSU Dean of Students David Strauss. “With students living on campus, busy in their jobs and communities, and coming from areas where they can't get home to vote, TurboVote makes sure the students get the absentee ballot in their hands. This will be invaluable to getting students to vote.”

Wayne State University students interested in registering for TurboVote should visit www.wayne.turbovote.org.

About TurboVote
TurboVote is a service provided by Democracy Works Inc., a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization devoted to improving civic engagement through technology.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.

Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution of higher education offering 370 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 31,000 students.

Contact

Rasheda Williams
Phone: 313-577-8094
Email: rasheda.williams@wayne.edu

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