In light of new voting laws in Wisconsin, the Student Voter Coalition has taken on the task of registering students to vote, holding its first official kickoff meeting Thursday.

Co-founded by Associated Students of Madison Rep. Sam Polstein, Rep. Colin Higgins and Legislative Affairs Committee Chair Hannah Somers, the organization is dedicated to registering and motivating University of Wisconsin students to vote.

According to Polstein, the organization’s mission is to get students to the polls on election day by registering as many voters as possible and educating students on Wisconsin voter registration laws.

Polstein said this is especially important given the new voter ID laws, which require photo identification at the polls.

UW will be issuing students without a valid form of identification a free supplemental ID card for voting purposes following a decision made last week, Polstein said.

“Students want to be registered and want to vote,” Polstein said.

Polstein added he anticipates voter registration will increase drastically next semester in light of the new free voter ID cards.

The Wiscard office in Union South will issue the cards starting Jan. 23, the first day of classes for the spring semester, Polstein said.

Somers said the Student Voter Coalition was a natural fit for her.

“[It’s important] to make sure students know about the changes in the voter ID laws and that things are different than before,” she said.

Over the course of this week, organization members and volunteers have been holding tables at Gordon Commons, Union South and Memorial Union, Somers said.

Students can register to vote and speak with volunteer Coalition representatives about voter ID laws, UW’s new free voter ID card and the organization at these tables.

The Student Voter Coalition has registered over 140 voters already, Polstein said.

“The 2008 Vote Coalition registered 1,000 voters, so I’d like to beat that,” Somers said.

Additionally, the organization is working on a number of initiatives to get people registered and ensure this goal is met, Somers said.

She added the coalition is currently in the process of entering into a formal agreement with Rock the Vote, a national organization interested in the influence of youth in political and social change. It is also working on possible collaboration with other campus organizations, hosting musical events and deputizing more students, she said.

Polstein said what sets the organization apart from other campus organizations interested in promoting voter registration is its non-partisanship.

“We want to be where people can go regardless of their partisan affiliation,” Polstein said.

Students interested in registering or getting involved with the Student Voter Coalition are encouraged to attend the organization’s weekly meeting held at 5 p.m. in the ASM office. Students can also check out the organization’s Twitter and Facebook pages.

The coalition will be offering information from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. today in the Memorial Union outside of the Rathskeller.