Student Senate passed a resolution in support of educating students on how to vote in light of the upcoming midterm elections.

The midterm elections will take place on Nov. 6, where registered voters will decide congressional, state and local representatives.

“As someone who’s active politically, I think it’s important for everyone to vote and you should all grab your friends and have them grab their friends and go vote,” Senator Matt Conte said.

Students looking to vote in Wisconsin will have to register, which they can do in person at the polls. In order to do this, students will need to provide proof of residency as well as a valid form of identification.

According to the resolution, acceptable forms of proof of residency which include the student’s name and current Wisconsin street address include the following:

• Voter verification form found on CampS
• Utility bills issued within the last 90 days
• Mobile phone bills issued within the last 90 days
• Account statement from a bank/financial institution or brokerage house issued within the last 90 days
• Rental/lease agreement for Wisconsin property (including landlord’s name and number)
• Valid Wisconsin hunting or fishing license

According to the resolution, acceptable forms of valid voter identification include the following:

• University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire student ID that says “Wisconsin Voter ID compliant” on the back
• Wisconsin Department of Transportation-issued driver license
• Wisconsin DOT-issued identification card
• Military ID
• U.S. passport
• Identification card issued by a federally recognized Indian tribe in Wisconsin

Students can check to see if they are registered to vote on the National Association of the Secretaries of State’s website by clicking on the “Voter Registration” link.

Students may also vote by absentee ballot, which is needed when voters are unable to vote in their allocated voting location. Step-by-step instructions for this can be found on vote.org. In order to be eligible for absentee voting, a person must be registered to vote. Absentee ballots in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois are due by Election Day.

Resolution in support of updating the accessibility icon

Senate also passed a resolution in support of updating the accessibility icon.

According to the resolution, the icon depicting a motionless person in a wheelchair was first created in 1968 by Susanne Koefoed. However, the icon has been updated in public spaces including the U.S. Department of Treasury and the Museum of Modern Art. The updated icon depicts an active person in a wheelchair.

Anna Ziebell, the Senate Chair for the Equity in Student Matters commission, praised the resolution, which she said has been in the works for a few months.

“It’s definitely going to help our campus become more equitable and inclusive, and if we the students push for this, the university hopefully will,” Ziebell said.   

Because the proposal is in the beginning stages, there isn’t yet an estimated cost for the changes that would need to be made.

Other news

• The Student Office of Sustainability introduced a bill to allocate $40,000 to replacing lighting in Davies Center with LED lighting. The bill will be voted on next week.
• Senator Rashawn Williams resigned from Senate.