The ASUO and OSPIRG have teamed up to hand out voter registration cards, talk to students in classes about voting and work at voter registration tables during the next few weeks to encourage students to vote in this year’s primary elections as well as in future elections.
The two groups have hopes of registering 1,000 students by April 26 before the upcoming primary elections, about 200 more than were registered during the ASUO’s fall voter registration campaign, ASUO State Affairs Coordinator Sandy Newton said.
Newton said although the biggest race this year is for the state governor seat, the primary elections are just as important as any other election.
“This year is especially unique for primary elections because there will be a University student running for the Eugene City Council, which we have never had before,” she said.
Junior Maco Stewart will be running for Eugene City Council Ward 3, and the ASUO has plans to hold a debate at the University between Stewart and his opponent, City Council President David Kelly, before the elections, Newton said.
Newton said Ballot Measure 13 will also be of importance to University students in the primaries.
“This measure basically pits higher education against secondary education and could affect many students at this campus,” she said.
If passed, the ballot would provide a transfer of $220 million from the Education Endowment, which helps fund the Oregon Opportunity Grant, to the School Stabilization Fund for K-12 schools. The transfer would leave a balance of $58 million for the Education Endowment and in 2003-04, 2,000 Oregon Opportunity Grants would be eliminated, Newton said.
OSPIRG and the ASUO will be working with administrators for this year’s “Get Out the Vote” campaign and will continue to work with them on future voter
registration projects.
In 1998, the U.S. Congress passed an amendment to the Higher Education Act requiring higher education institutions to make efforts to encourage students to become more politically active.
Administrators met with the two groups Tuesday to discuss possible ideas for registering students to vote and improving voter turnout. Concepts considered included installing voter registration drop boxes in popular campus buildings and inviting prominent figures from the University community to work at voter registration tables, OSPIRG Youth Vote Coordinator Greg
Gallagher said.
The two groups also suggested linking the University Web site to the secretary of state’s Web site and placing voter registration cards in the class course catalog, student directories and the University catalog. They also talked about setting up voter registration tables at sporting events and playing a commercial on the big screen during
University football games,
Gallagher said.
“What I saw at the meeting was a really enthusiastic response from the administration to the groups’ suggestions, and they did a great job with their proposal of ideas,” Associated Vice President for Student Affairs Anne Leavitt said.
Leavitt said the only problem that could arise in pursuing the proposed ideas has to do
with timeliness.
The class course catalog for fall 2002 has already gone to press, and she said registering students to vote in the fall and spring terms can be difficult because students may be moving to or away from Eugene and do not have an address.
“We just need to find a window of opportunity,” she said. “If we can get figure out the right timeline, we will be able to make a difference.”
Gallagher said he believes it is important for University students to take part in their community and voice their concerns about health coverage and student housing.
“My favorite quote is, ‘Democracy isn’t a spectator sport,’” he said. “It’s very important to be an active part of our elected officials’ constituency if we want to affect the issues.”
Students can look for registration tables during the next couple weeks at the EMU Amphitheater, the University Bookstore, Johnson Hall, the Carson residence hall complex, the EMU Fishbowl and the Hamilton residence hall complex near Grab ‘N Go. Members of OSPIRG and the ASUO will also be handing out voter registration cards in classes.