“Hi, are you registered to vote at your current address?”
Students have probably heard those words on campus recently from a smiling volunteer in a campaign T-shirt.
The catch phrase — as well as the shirts — are all part of the ASUO’s annual Get Out the Vote campaign. This year, the theme is “Stuff the Duck,” named after the wooden ducks placed around campus that gauge this year’s goal. The ASUO hopes to register 4,000 new voters campuswide.
ASUO State Affairs Coordinator Adam Petkun, co-coordinator of the campaign, said getting students to vote is important so higher education funding isn’t cut.
“We don’t have money to lobby in Salem, but what we do have is power — 20,000 students,” Petkun said.
Student Senator Mena Ravassipour, a campaign volunteer, said many students she approaches for registration are friendly and happy to take a few minutes to register.
But sometimes she gets the cold shoulder.
“I think it’s kind of traumatizing when you ask (students) to register and they ignore you,” she said.
Petkun stressed the necessity of getting the word out to everyone.
“I know students get tired of hearing it,” he said. “We’re not trying to be rude; we’re trying to reach every last student to give them a chance to vote.”
Petkun added, however, that Alaskan students should not register because they will lose the government stipend they receive every year as residents of Alaska.
Aside from registering students to vote, ASUO is educating students about political issues.
Students will have a chance to meet state legislative candidates Oct. 23 at the EMU, and a ballot measure event will be held Oct. 24 to familiarize students with state ballot measures.
“We want to give students both sides of the coin so they can make an educated decision,” said Stefan Meyers, ASUO legislative associate and the other co-coordinator of the campaign.
Another tentative event is a debate between Floyd Prozanski and Greg McNeill, Democratic and Republican candidates for the Oregon House of Representatives, District 8.
Myers said the “Stuff the Duck” campaign is only the first step in an active year.
“Everything we do stems from voter registration,” he said.
ASUO is also planning lobbying trips to Salem and a trip to the United States Student Association Convention in Washington, D.C.
Contact the senior news reporter
at [email protected].