Secretary of State of Kentucky Alison Lundergan Grimes is visiting WKU on Thursday, to promote and discuss online voter registration for students.

Grimes’ visit is part of a series of events aimed at promoting Kentucky’s new online registration system, GoVoteKY.com. Grimes said she hopes to see anyone who wishes to register at the event held in DSU 3020 at 5:30 p.m.

“I’m really excited to be bringing our GoVoteKY.com Tour to WKU on Thursday, and I invite all students, faculty and community members to join us,” Grimes said in an email. “Over the past month, I have traveled across Kentucky to get the word out; online voter registration is here, and it’s a major success.”

It shows that our Secretary of State understands that young people are 25 percent of the popu- lation, but 100 per- cent of our future.

Kentuckians can use the new registration site to register for the first time or update their registration record. There are also options for those participating in a college or high school registration drive.

Voters input their Social Security number and date of birth into the system that the Secretary of State’s office says is safe-guarded and encrypted. There are also systems to prevent ineligible people from registering.

Student Government Association President Jay Todd Richey said that he believes the Grimes’ visit and the new voter registration system are extremely important for Kentucky’s future.

“It shows that our Secretary of State understands that young people are 25% of the population, but 100% of our future,” Richey said. “The new online voter registration initiative is a very positive step forward to expanding access to the ballot in Kentucky. College students should absolutely know about it and use it.”

The registration site launched on March 1, has apparently already been effective in Warren County. Warren County Clerk Lynette Yates said that her office has seen a considerable increase in registration.

“We really like [registering voters] this way,” Yates said. “It helps us process everything more efficiently and keeps foot traffic away from the office.”

Students can use the site to register before the April 18 deadline to vote in the Kentucky Democratic primary election held on May 17. Democratic voters will decide between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or Senator Bernie Sanders.