After poor voter turnout in MTSU homecoming king and queen elections in recent years, Luis Esmurria III, Student Government Association election commissioner, pitched the idea of in-person voting to hopefully see an uptick in homecoming votes.
This week, the SGA Election Commission set up a voting booth in the Student Union atrium for the first time during homecoming elections. Students can cast votes for homecoming king and queen on Wednesday from noon to 2 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to noon.
A member of the Election Commission will be at the table with an iPad and a QR code linking to the ballot on myMT. Students are encouraged to either scan the code on their own device or log into their myMT on the iPad to cast their vote.
Even if they don’t know who is running, students should vote, Esmurria said.
To help voters make an informed decision, each candidate on the ballot provided a paragraph about why they are running for court and how they would improve student life on campus.
“While the ballot we have is online, [the voting station] gives students the opportunity to critically think about their choices,” Esmurria said. “In a way similar to how voters should critically think about who they’re voting for at the ballot, and which candidate will do the best for them in state, local and national government.”
Students can vote for up to five candidates for homecoming queen and four for king.
The winners of the court will be announced after polling closes Friday, and the king and queen will be crowned during halftime of MTSU’s homecoming football game against Marshall University on Sept. 20.
Other homecoming events include a mac & cheese cookoff at Floyd Stadium on Sept. 17, a skate night in the Campus Recreation Center on Sept. 16 and a parade featuring student organizations and alumni on Sept. 20.
“I wholeheartedly believe students should be civically engaged in local, state and national affairs, and voting in a homecoming election at your own university is a great way to start,” Esmurria said.
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