 Hi, my name's Kate Murray. I use she, her pronouns and I'm the class of 2022. Hi, my name's Emma Watkins. I use she, her pronouns and I'm class of 2023. Hi, my name's Jixia Perez. I use she, her pronouns and I'm also class of 2022. Hi, my name is Lily James. I use she, her pronouns. I'm class of 2021 and we're a few of the student coordinators of the MHC Votes Coalition. 18 to 29 year olds are the largest and most diverse coalition of voters in the country, yet they vote at rates 20% lower than other age groups. That diversity deserves to be represented in political decision making. Less than 50% of college students voted in the last presidential election. Think about how many voices went unheard. 83% of young people said they believe young people love the power to change the country. 60% feel like they are part of a movement that will vote to express its views. And 79% of young people say that the COVID-19 pandemic has helped them realize that politics impacts their everyday lives. At Mount Holyoke, we have really high registration rates. In 2016, 94% of eligible students were registered. However, only 73.2% actually voted. Closing this gap is so important this year. We're the generation that will inherit America's problems. Suffrage has historically been a privilege only granted to certain groups of people and voter suppression continues to prevail in both covert and overweight. MHC Votes aims to make the complicated and instantaneous process of voting accessible and efficient for all MHC students. In order to vote in the upcoming election, as well as future elections, you'll need to register to vote. The good news is that registration only takes an average of two minutes. In order to register, just go to studentvote.org and fill out the information on the first page and then click Next Step. From there, you'll be brought to this page where you can fill out the rest of your information, including the address you'll be registering at. Remember, you'll need your photo ID or a driver's license with you in order to register. Click Next Step and you'll be brought to another page that has a state-specific form for the state you're registering in. Follow the steps on that page and you'll be all set. For example, in Massachusetts, you're brought to this page where you can register, update your address if you've moved, update your name, or check your registration information if you're not sure if you've registered. Once you've registered or if you've already registered, you can then request your absentee ballot by going to vote.org backslash absentee ballot backslash, where you can fill out the corresponding information, including the address where you're registered to vote, and then click Continue, which will bring you to another state-specific page. We formed MHC Votes, a coalition of student groups, individual students, and faculty to make voting accessible, efficient, and exciting for Mount Holyoke students. Check your orientation schedule to find our open hours, where you can hop on a Zoom call to ask any questions or get help walking through the voter registration or absentee ballot requesting process. We'll also be having more of these open hours throughout the fall. You can find us during the virtual org fair on September 6th in your first-year seminars, Nadine's Corner and Word Out, and on social media at MHC Votes. Our regional experts will be more than happy to answer any questions about what's on your ballot and the voting process in the state in which you're registering. Remember, you can also email us with your questions anytime at mhtvotes at gmail.com. Our MHC Votes Coalition goal this year is to get 100% voter participation of all eligible MHC student voters. Help us reach our goal by registering to vote or requesting your absentee ballot today.