BILLINGS- With six weeks until Montana’s general election, there is a push to get voters, especially young ones registered.
Tuesday across the nation marked National Register to Vote Day.
A Montana grassroots group called Forward Montana set up shop at Rocky Mountain College to inform college students about the voting process, answer questions about resources for candidates and help students register to vote.
Forward Montana is a nonpartisan group aimed to get young people to the polls, according to Billings Field Manager Michael Nelson.
He said the goal was to get 100 students and young people to register to vote. By midday Tuesday, he said they already had 50.
He said it’s hard to get college and high school aged-kids to vote for many reasons. Some feel overwhelmed by the process, others might believe it’s too complicated because they are first-time voters, and others aren’t interested in today’s much divided political climate, he said.
“It’s been a tumultuous time,” said Nelson. “A lot of people feel like it’s just a little too dirty and a little too nasty and people don’t want to engage in it. They just get on with their lives. We are here to tell them that democracy requires showing up.”
Nelson said across Montana, Forward Montana has helped thousands of young people register to vote.
