Members of the Oregon State Public Interest Research Group set up a canopy and tables in the Erb Memorial Union Amphitheater for their “New Voter’s Campaign” from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Election Day. Multiple members stood on the walkways directing students to the ballot drop box, offering informational flyers and stickers. 

Kali Kleven, vice chair of OSPIRG and New Voter’s Campaign coordinator, said OSPIRG has historically been the “most effective group at registering youth voters” on campus. 

“I just think that shows today with how many people we’ve been able to talk to,” Kleven said. “We’ve talked to over 200 students in our first hour of tabling.” 

In the center of the Amphitheater, members had a poster board with a map of the United States for students to mark what states they were voting from. They also were taking photos of students posing next to an inflatable goat they had coined, “The Vote Goat.” 

Tristan Jeo and Haley Slaughter stood near the ballot box, asking students if they had voted. 

“We are trying to encourage people and remind people to get out there and vote and of the election date, since a lot of people either forget or don’t realize that they can still vote and it’s not too late,” Jeo said. 

Jeo and Slaughter also had fliers with resources and information students may want access to. 

“We have different information on different ways to vote… it answers some of those questions and fears that students may have,” Slaughter said. 

Slaughter said their goal was to remind students that “they have power in their vote.” 

Another member of OSPIRG, Hugh Arbabi, stood on the other side of the Amphitheater, also encouraging students to vote. 

Arbabi said students on his side of the Amphitheater had mostly reacted positively to his campaigning. 

“There’s just been one or two people who have walked by me and just tried to brush me off just because I’m holding a clipboard on a college campus, and they think I’m probably asking them something stupid,” Arbabi said. 

Arbabi said his positive interactions with students made it fun working on the campaign. 

“A lot of people are excited once they start talking about it. One of my favorite things is, I’ll interrupt [people] as they’re walking and they’ll be holding the ballot and go, ‘I’m just about to. I’m headed to the ballot box right now,’” Arbabi said.