Fort Worth medical students launch #SOMVotes initiative
TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine students share information to help students and residents vote in the 2020 election.
FORT WORTH – Medical students from the TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine have launched a social media campaign to help residents and students in Tarrant County get registered to vote for the upcoming 2020 presidential election.
The social media campaign directs visitors to their online school of medicine voting guide and also help spread the word using their #SOMVotes hashtag.
“This idea came to me when I thought about things I would want to know if I needed to get registered or if I needed to know how to vote,” said Sarah Lyon, a second-year medical student at the Fort Worth medical school.
Lyon, who is a member of the Student Senate at the medical school, came up with two areas to focus on in the social media campaign, getting registered to vote and where to vote in Tarrant County.
Their team created virtual flyers with a voting guide that provided links to reputable websites where residents can find out if they are already registered to vote. If they aren’t, the voting guide provides links to websites that can help individuals get registered, find a polling place and learn how to vote absentee or vote early.
There is also a ‘frequently asked questions’ section in case individuals need additional information.
“I thought this might be helpful especially for students who are not from Texas and may not be registered here,” Lyon said. “We also added some information about how COVID-19 might affect the polling locations.”
Election Day all across the United States is Tuesday, November 3 and Texas offers absentee ballots by mail to voters who are unable to vote in person. All other voters are expected to vote in person. Texas offers early voting that begins on October 13 and ends on October 30.