Voter registration efforts have begun at Penn State with organizations banning together to register students on campus before the Oct. 6 deadline in Pennsylvania.
Matthew Popek, president of Represent Penn State, said his organization is at the forefront of the non-partisan voter registration process.
Popek said this year's PSUVote.org Coalition and its new Web site, psuvote.org, were officially launched in the fall.
Web site users can complete their voter registration forms online and put them in drop boxes across campus, including locations such as the HUB-Robeson Center Information Desk, commons areas and the Pattee Library, he said.
Popek said the coalition has held meetings and tables have been set up in the commons during dinner.
"It's officially still in the planning stages," Popek said about the group's efforts.
Popek said organizations are encouraged to collaborate because once people are at the tables, their background doesn't matter.
"We are not promoting any partisan agendas," Popek said.
College Republicans Chairman Alex Smith said his organization has been working with the coalition.
"They just tell us what they need from us," he said.
Smith said College Republicans handed out voter registration forms at the Student Involvement Fair.
Penn State Students for Barack Obama President Zach Zabel said his organization is a member of the coalition, but also acts on its own. He said there is also a competition between Students for Barack Obama at Penn State and its equivalent at the University of Michigan.
He said students are encouraged to register on campus, but those who want to vote by absentee ballot will be accommodated.
Penn State Students for John McCain President Andrew Natalo said his group is also a member of the coalition. The members of Students for John McCain do not identify themselves as McCain supporters when volunteering, he said.
Trey Thomas, technology chairman of Represent, said the Web site is secure and safe because neither the last four digits of a person's social security number are kept nor is drivers license information.
Thomas said along with registration information and Election Day information, polling place maps for the entire borough are available online.
"The real purpose of [the Web site] is to serve as an information hub," he said.
Thomas said the site is still partially under construction.
Popek said those who would use the absentee ballot process don't always follow through with it. He said that if a student is registered at Penn State, the process is simplified.
The Pennsylvania absentee ballot application can be found via a link on the coalition's Web site, Popek said.
Joyce McKinley, director of elections for Centre County, said absentee ballots are available online.
"Our return for absentee ballots is usually high," she said of Centre County.
McKinley said absentee ballots are counted if they meet the criteria and the deadline.
"If they voted an absentee ballot it is counted regardless," she said.
On a conference call about Obama's plan for on-campus voter registration, actor Kal Penn and Facebook co-creator Chris Hughes spoke about a new Web site, voteforchange.com.
Hughes said many people are under the impression registering to vote is difficult, but people can go to the site and find all the basic information.
"Anybody can register, it takes three maybe five minutes tops," he said.
