Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) is helping eligible voters get registered to vote before the Oct. 11 deadline.

OCCC’s Political Science Department, with help from the Political Science Club, hosted a voter registration pop-up on campus on Sept. 17, National Voter Registration Day.

During the event, 34 people registered to vote, and many enjoyed pizza from Pizza to the Polls, a nationwide nonprofit that provides food to citizens participating in civic duties such as registering and voting.

The event was just one of several initiatives OCCC has undertaken to help eligible voters get registered. OCCC’s Student Life Office has been promoting voter registration to the campus community through its weekly e-newsletter and has paper registration forms available at its information desk.

“OCCC making it convenient and easy for students to register is a great step in increasing the voter turnout of Oklahoma youth,” said Dr. Emily Stacey, professor of state and local government at OCCC. “The first step is registering, and that first step is always the hardest to take. After that, you are more likely to participate.”

In Oklahoma, there are more than 2 million registered voters. The Oklahoma Election Board routinely updates voter registration records. So far this year, the board has removed the registration of 34,808 people who moved out of jurisdiction, 17,734 deceased people, and 2,721 people for miscellaneous reasons.

“It is always wonderful to see civic and political engagement at the college level,” said Dr. Stacey. “This is the time of your lives where you should be exploring your role in the democracy and how you can best advocate for yourself and the things you believe in.”

Oct. 7-11 is National Voter Education Week, the final week eligible people can register to vote. The week is devoted to educating voters about where, when and how to vote. The final day to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 21. Early voting takes place Oct. 30-Nov. 2. Polls are open Nov. 5, Election Day, for in-person voting.

“We want to provide an opportunity for students to have open dialogue in a safe space. It is our goal to teach students to think critically and make voting decisions based on their values,” said Dr. Shanna Padgham, chair of OCCC’s Political Science Department. “Empowering students to participate in civic engagement from volunteering to voting is an important component of the collegiate experience.”