The Iowa caucus is only one week away, commencing the start of primary election voting.  For Ohioans, another important date is approaching; Feb. 16 is the last day to register to vote in the Ohio primary on March 15, to help decide who the Republicans or Democrats will choose as their candidates.

In an election with such diverse candidates holding conflicting views, primary voting is an important way for citizens to choose which candidate they want to represent their political party in the presidential election.

With the spring semester starting, registering to vote can seem like an extra hassle. However, registering to vote is easier than most people think.

The Kent State College Democrats, a group of democratic students at Kent State, will have voting booths set up in the Student Center leading up to the registration deadline.

“We plan to have a tabling event at least once a week going forward,” said Anthony Erhardt, membership director of the College Democrats. “And we do separate voter registration drives throughout the semester.”

All students have to do is pick up a voter registration form from their table and fill out the necessary information, Erhardt said.

“Then we take it over to the library and they actually mail it to the Portage County Board of Elections,” he said.

If you are not in the Student Center during one of these drives, the College Democrats have an office in room 226 of the Student Center.  

“We will have spare voter registration forms that they can fill out and we will take them over to the library to mail them out” Erhardt said.

Registration forms and applications for absentee ballots can also be found through the Portage County Board of Elections site at www.co.portage.oh.us/election/.

Ben Kindel is a Politics correspondent for The Kent Stater. Contact him at [email protected].