By Sarah Cook

The Selma Times-Journal

 

Residents of Selma, Orrville and Valley Grande are encouraged to visit the Dallas County Board of Registrars Office by 4:30 p.m. this Friday, as it marks the final day residents can register to vote in the municipal elections.

Residents only need a few pieces of personal information to successfully register: their name, gender, date of birth and residential address being a few.

Lola Sewell, a member of the Dallas County Board of Registrars, said registration is a simple process.

“This is the easy part,” Sewell said. “It’s a matter of just keeping your information updated.”

There are two different types of forms residents choose from. A short form is used for already registered voters who just wish to change their basic information, like name or address, while a long form is used for first-time voters.

“We let them fill out the information that they know like their name, address and telephone number,” Sewell said of the registration process.

The short form, which is about a half a page long, lets the office know that the voter is already in the system.

Once a voter is registered, they are registered for life and can vote in every election as long as they stay active, Sewell said.

“At the end of elections, we scan in the voter ID card as to what election you have actually voted in,” Sewell said. “Then, the system automatically keeps you active forever and ever as long as you vote any time there is an election.”

According to a registrar board member, there has been a large influx of residents coming to register to vote or update their information in the three cities of Selma, Orrville and Valley Grande, Selma being the greatest.

There has also been a mix of age groups registering to vote, the board member said.

For those voting through an absentee ballot, which has been approved through a local town hall or city hall, ballots must be mailed to city hall by noon on Friday for their vote to be counted.

Sewell emphasized the importance of voting, saying that it is both a privilege and a right to vote for the person of your choice.

“Your vote is your voice,” Sewell said.