UHV to host early voting location
The University of Houston-Victoria will be an early voting site for the first time as a convenience to both students and community members ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
The location will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 24 and noon to 5 p.m. Oct. 25 in the UHV University North Multi-Purpose Room, 3007 N. Ben Wilson St. Voters must wear a mask to enter the building. Only those registered in Victoria County can vote at this location.
“The right to vote is one of the most important responsibilities of U.S. citizens, and UHV is proud to offer a location for our students and others to exercise that right,” UHV President Bob Glenn said. “I applaud the hard work of all of those who worked to bring this service to the university.”
In order to maintain safe social distancing, voters will enter the building on the side of the horseshoe drive in front of UHV University North. After they have voted, they will exit through the side door beside the Multi-Purpose Room. Curbside voting is available for disabled voters.
The university chose to offer the location during the weekend to allow for greater social distancing at a time when students are not attending classes, said Craig Goodman, associate professor of political science. Goodman collaborated with Jennifer Ortiz-Garza, a UHV senior lecturer of psychology; Hilary Kofron, director of UHV Student Life; and others across campus to bring the voting location to campus.
“There’s been a lot of interest in voting among our students in the past, but there were always logistical issues, such as offering shuttles to polling places,” Goodman said. “This will allow the university to offer convenient voting to its student population while also offering another location for community members.”
Offering a polling place at a university seemed like a natural fit, Goodman said. The university hopes to offer the service again during future elections.
“The Victoria County elections office appreciates UHV opening its doors to us,” said Margetta Hill, county elections administrator. “This is an important election, and it’s good to have an extra site open to allow greater access for voters.”
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
