For those who have yet to register to vote, the process has become relatively easy. Text “vote” to 384-367 and answer 10 questions through the phone, which automatically submits registration forms. Hellovote, the program that launched this new process of voting registration, started on Thursday, September 22, and will remain open until the last day to register to vote in Hawaii, which is Monday, October 10.

“Our nation is at a critical point,” said Jennifer Milliken, an active member of KCC chapter Alpha Kappa Psi, who participated in the voter registration drive on campus. “We need to take this responsibility [voting] seriously. The election isn’t about the candidates, it is about us a people and who we are. They [the elected officials] represent us. It is important to realize that it is our right to be represented, and this process is one of the avenues for our voices to be heard.”

The KCC chapter (also known as Alpha Kappa Psi) of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society helped to steer students in the right direction when going about registration as a part of its Honors in Action topic: “How the World Works: Global Perspectives.” In promotions of this new program, members of the honor society set up around campus either in front of the cafeteria or Lama Library, rallying eligible students to register to vote.

Phi Theta Kappa registered 80 new voters and gave out 301 voter registration forms on campus, according to Julie Rancilio, the faculty advisor to the honor society.

Phi Theta Kappa decided to focus on voting as its Honors in Action topic because millennials are the largest group of potential voters compared to all other generations. According to the Pew Research Center, the number of registered millennial voters have significantly decreased since the 2008 to 2012 elections. In 2008, only half the eligible millennials voted, while that number decreased to just 46 percent four years ago, according to Pew Research.

According to U.S. Census data, more than 15 percent of Americans are still not registered to vote.

If you have any further questions about how to register or of any alternative ways to do so besides via text, you can contact Phi Theta Kappa faculty advisor Julie Rancilio at rancilio@hawaii.edu, or visit the Office of Elections website for more information.

To read all of Kayla’s stories click here. Kayla can be reached at kvalera@hawaii.edu.