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The Pitt News

T h e i n d e p e n d e n t s t ude nt ne w spap e r of t he U niversity of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | September 10, 2019 ­| Volume 110 | Issue 20

PA. TO ALLOW ABSENTEE VOTERS TO APPLY ONLINE

UNDER THE SEA WITH MUSICAL THEATRE CLUB PG.4

Erica Guthrie

Assistant News Editor Pennsylvania voters who are unable to make it to the polls Nov. 5 can now apply for an absentee ballot online, rather than by mail or in person. On Monday, Governor Tom Wolf announced in a statement that the program will be open for applications within the next week, and the website will be mobile-friendly. “Applying for an absentee ballot online will make the process faster and more accessible for thousands of voters,” Wolf said. “This builds on the option to register to vote online which Pennsylvania launched four years ago and it will provide an easier way for people to exercise their right to vote.” After absentee voters receive their paper ballots, they will still have to mail them or return them to their county’s election office by Nov. 1. If the ballot comes after the Nov. 1 deadline, it will not be counted, regardless of whether or not it is before election day. This change comes four years after Wolf began an initiative that allowed Pennsylvania residents to register to vote online. Since it began in 2015, 1.4 million people have registered online, according to Wolf’s statement. For now, the online registration will only be available to those with a PennDOT driver’s license or identification card. By the 2020 election, Wolf plans to expand the program to those without a PennDOT card, overseas voters and military members. The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot this year is Oct. 29, one week before the Nov. 5 election. The absentee ballots will have to be delivered to the voter’s county elections office by Nov. 1, the Friday before the election, as per Election Code.

Pitt’s Musical Theatre Club performs “Under the Sea” as a part of its 24 hour production of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” Saturday evening at Stephen Foster Memorial Theater. Hannah Heisler senior staff photographer

FRIDAY LAWN EXHIBIT WILL ‘SEND SILENCE PACKING’ Carolyn Brodie For The Pitt News

More than 1,000 backpacks will line the Cathedral of Learning’s lawn this Friday to represent real college students who have lost their lives to suicide. The traveling exhibit, called “Send Silence Packing,” is sponsored by the national mental health awareness organization Active Minds, which advocates for mental health care and de-stigmatization surrounding mental illness. The group of backpacks, on display from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., aims to put a visual to the statistics of suicide victims. Attached to the top of each backpack will be the biography of the student that

once carried it, along with personal anecdotes and comments from friends and family members. Julia Lam, the president of Pitt’s Active Minds chapter, said she was enthusiastic about the installation’s relevance on campus. “It is valuable especially to Pitt, and early on in the school year, to help students remember that so many people care and there are resources available to help,” Lam, a senior psychology and rehabilitation science major, said in an email. “Pitt also plays a role as a big school in the heart of Pittsburgh, as a very visible location for a suicide awareness display that can reach not only students but anyone

passing through the Oakland area.” Lam also drew attention to the demographic prevalence of mental illness in college students. According to a source sheet by the national Active Minds organization, 39% of college students significantly struggle with mental health diagnoses, and among causes of mortality in this demographic, suicide is the secondhighest. Though Lam predicts the subject matter and displays at Send Silence Packing will likely create a heavy emotional atmosphere, some of the Active Minds’ 50 members will be around the perimeter alongside Counseling Center staff, comSee Silence on page 2


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