County voter deputy registrar Shontay Jones said that, out of the 3,000 registered student voters, only about 500 made their voices heard in the November county elections. She said that while the presidential election gets more attention, and therefore better voter turnout, it is actually the local government that more directly impacts students’ everyday lives.

The problem, according to Jones, is that students do not know what councilmen do that actually affects them.  She said that a bigger effort needs to come from both sides in this struggle.  The council needs to reach out more to young voters, but the young voters also need to ask more questions.  Where does she suggest starting?

1. 1. Check your voter registration status. Do not assume that your voter registration got turned in if you went to a drive. 
2. 2. Follow up. If you registered to vote and, a month later still have not received your voter registration card, something is wrong.  Call your local registrar’s office at 912-764-6502 and see what happened. Alternately, check out the GA secretary of state’s Web site at http://sos.georgia.gov/elections/voting_information.htm.
3. 3. Call the registrar to find out who represents your district. This is why the registrar is here; they want to help answer questions.
4. 4. Contact your representative. Once you know who represents you, it is time to get information from them about the issues that affect you. The registrar can point you in the direction of their contact information.

Jones also suggests that students look into absentee voting. This is particularly helpful for students without cars who might have trouble getting to their polling place on the day of an election. The registrar’s office mails the person a form upon request, and then the ballot can be mailed in.