The ASUO and the University will create a plan that encourages students to register to vote and to vote in elections.
“This is one of the most proactive things we have done to make it easier for young people to vote,” State Sen. Brad Avakian, one of the bill’s sponsors, said. “We think it will be a great way to get people voting in addition to actually involved on campus.”
Senate Bill 951 passed through the Oregon House with a 48-8 vote Tuesday. The bill is designed to ensure all students receive information about voting and opportunities available on campus to register to vote. The student government will work together with the University to create a program that addresses the distribution and collection of voter registration cards, and makes sure the registration cards are available in residence halls, campus bookstores, registration locations, financial aid offices and student advisor offices.
The student-body effort encouraging residents to vote has been a success in recent elections, as it helped register more than 33,000 people in the 2004 presidential election and 22,000 people in the 2006 mid-term elections.
“We’re really excited about this vote because the legislature thinks it is appropriate to compel our university administrations across the state to institutionalize a vote,” ASUO president Emily McLain said.
ASUO working to encourage student voting
Daily Emerald
June 6, 2007
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