Valencia and former Florida governor’s son encourage voting

The second annual Constitution Day occurred this Tuesday as students showed up in large numbers to prepare themselves for this November’s election. George P. Bush, son of former Florida governor Jeb Bush, delivered a speech on the importance of voting for young adults. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the student services building patio served as a beacon for voter registration and awareness.

The mission of this event was to inform students of the importance of voting, not only for the presidential candidates, but our state representatives as well. Miniature American flags along with red, white and blue cupcakes painted a patriotic picture of political interest and pride.

Rainy weather didn’t prevent students and faculty alike from taking part in the event. When asked about the significance of youth voting, Jaryll Bridges, a second year Valencia student said “I feel young adults are our future, therefore when we vote, we are voting for our future.”

Bridges later said “This election is vital to my education because I could possibly lose my Pell Grant if Romney wins.”

George P. Bush and his associates representing the Maverick Political Action Committee (PAC) arrived at 11:30 a.m. in a tour bus wrapped with a graphic which reads “Rollin’ Through Florida.” Reporters from many local news outlets, including the Orlando Sentinel, arrived eager to interview the PAC’s front man, Mr. Bush.

Giving a brief minute long speech, Bush touched on the crucial role young adults play in this year’s election. He kept the speech particularly short because he didn’t want to hold up students from their next classes.

When asked about the purpose behind this tour, Bush said “Our goal here is to motivate young adults, ages 18 to 24, to vote. Since Nixon lowered the voting age to 18-years-old in 1970 there has been a decline in young men and women showing up to the polls until 2008.”

Giving recognition to President Obama for his impressive ability to reach the younger vote, Bush touched on campaigning in the 21st century. When asked how the tour has been going he said “Fun, real fun, we’ve had a great time interacting with students across Florida. Facebook and Twitter are great ways to connect with the younger voters, we can update pictures and videos of our tour, plus you get instant feedback which is real useful.”

Oct. 4 will be the last day to register to vote in order to participate in the upcoming election. If you have yet to register and would like to, stop by the Student Development office in building one. The process should take no longer than 10 minutes.

For further information, contact Student Government Association President Evan King. See the webpage, Student Government Association.