By BRIAN TYNES

Staff Writer

One hundred seventy-five students registered to vote through a voter registration drive held by the Student Government Association on the Student Center, Main Floor the last two weeks.

Lindsey Mencacci, SGA vice president and a junior biology major, said 140 of the 175 registration forms were completed to vote in Lincoln Parish.

Additionally, 75 to 100 mail-in ballots were requested by students who are registered to vote in their hometown both in Louisiana and other states.

"We did a big number because of the presidential election this year," Mencacci said.

"State elections and local elections do not create that much attention."

Mencacci said she was not surprised with the volume of newly-registered voters.

"I was expecting [a high turnout] because I think students aren't informed of the whole voting process, but they still want to vote," Mencacci said.

"Over one-half of the students were registering for the first time ... a lot of 18-year-olds were registering."

Kimberly Ludwig, SGA president and a senior business management and entrepreneurship major, said voting is important because university students will be affected by a large number of issues this year.

"In the last few years there has always been a gap between candidates and young voters," Ludwig said.

"Our generation has never been concerned with voting until this election because a lot of the issues affect us."

Ludwig said it is important to vote because it is a student's right.

"It's Your Right" was the slogan of the registration drive.

Mencacci said throughout the University of Louisiana System, 4,500 students registered to vote through their campus SGA offices.

Ludwig said student votes are important because of the topics being discussed in this election season, such as the declining economy.

"I will be graduating this year and many other students will as well," Ludwig said.

"We want to know there will be jobs available."

Registration forms for this year's presidential election had to be post-marked by Monday, but students can still go by the SGA Office, located in Tolliver Hall, Rooms 211 and 212, to register for future elections.

"Each university is supposed to have a building or office where students can go to register to vote, and our office is it for Tech," Mencacci said.

Lance Littlefield, a freshman history major, said voting is necessary if the students want their opinions to be heard.

Littlefield said, "If you don't vote, you don't have your say and you don't have the right to complain because you didn't voice your opinion."