MSU's nonpartisan voter task force is beginning a late push to register students for the upcoming presidential election.

YouVote began the first of its five residence hall voter registration drives Tuesday in Brody Hall, and will continue until Oct. 4 - the last day to register to cast a ballot for the presidential election on Nov. 2.

Through voter registration efforts at Party at the Aud and the Academic Orientation Program, YouVote has registered 174 students.

In a study released Monday by the Harvard University Institute of Politics, only 36.1 percent of 18-24 year olds voted in the 2000 presidential election.

According to the survey, more than eight in 10 universities surveyed hosted political speakers on campuses, but voting percentages were still well below the 2000 national average of 51.3 percent.

"The problem is young people don't feel enfranchised in (the) political process," said Jason Ardanowski, ASMSU director of legislative affairs for Student Assembly.

"They don't think the candidates express what they speak."

Ardanowski said ASMSU hopes to ultimately register 1,000 students through YouVote, Spartan Vote and political science classes.

Spartan Vote, a first-year, registered student organization is aimed to raise awareness of the election issues and register students to vote.

The organization is working with YouVote to promote student interest in elections.

ASMSU Student Assembly Vice Chairperson Andrew Bell said YouVote is looking to bring major political pundits and representatives during the MSU football team's bye weekend two weeks before the presidential election.

"We're looking for anyone who is anyone in politics to come," he said.

YouVote is also discussing other venues to attract students such as free busses to polls and food giveaways, Bell said.

"We don't care who you vote for as long as you're voting," he said. "Once students show we care, then it makes a difference."

East Lansing City Clerk Sharon Reid is involved with the effort to register students to vote.

YouVote gives registration forms to the city office.

"It's a joint group effort to assure students can get registered and get information," she said.

"We provide information on how to register students and our office participates in events to register students."

David Fields, an academic adviser in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, works with YouVote to recruit students from his civic leadership class to participate in registration efforts and work as election inspectors at polling locations on election day.

"They are working with YouVote for different voter registration opportunity on campus," he said.

Candidate information, election issues and absentee ballot information is available on YouVote's Web site, youvote.msu.edu.