UA News

The Associated Students of The University of Arizona is part of a statewide effort to register as many college students as possible to vote before the Nov. 4 general election.

With the presidential campaign less than two months away, University of Arizona students are working in overdrive to register eligible student voters and educate the campus population about the candidates and the issues that will be on the ballot.

The UA also has been in the number one spot in a national student voter registration competition that is being hosted on Myspace.com, the popular social networking site, said Elma Delic, vice president of the UA's chapter of Arizona Public Interest Research Group, or PIRG.

Called "Ultimate College Bowl," the competition is attempting to register every college student in the nation to vote by encouraging colleges and universities to get involved.

"I think it just shows how much work we're doing and how much enthusiasm we've created during this campaign," said Delic, also a UA sophomore studying journalism and political science.

"It's amazing to see how many people turn out at our events and how many volunteer and serve as interns," she added."

With more than 500 registrations, the UA was in the lead even though the competition's site had not been updated to reflect current numbers, said Tommy Bruce, president of the Associated Students of The University of Arizona.

ASUA is leading the voter registration push at the UA with its nonpartisan UA Votes 2008 - a three-part drive to register students, educate them and lead mobilization efforts.

This, too, is part of a statewide effort to involve public university students in the election process. Arizona Students Association and Arizona PIRG are also involved in the statewide effort.

"Every year is a big push, but 2008 is a monumental election," said Michael Slugocki, who is also a UA senior majoring in political science.

"We're giving them completely nonpartisan information and saying these are the basic facts, these are the candidates and this is where they stand on the issues," said Slugocki, also board chair for the statewide Arizona Students' Association, or ASA.

"We really think this is the year for youth voter turnout and we want to make sure that our voice is heard," he said.

At the UA, student volunteers have been attending classes, visiting students living in the residence halls and working on the UA Mall encouraging people to register to vote. ASUA's goal is to register 80 percent of University students living on campus.

ASUA will hold its kick off meeting for UA Votes volunteers Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m. in the Tucson Room at the Student Union Memorial Center. Anyone interested in volunteering is welcome to join.

Also, the association is holding a campus-wide competition among student clubs, organizations and residential halls to see who can register the most number of students to vote.

On Oct. 8, the ASUA office will serve as an early polling site for the general election.

Student organizations involved in the drive include College Republicans and the Young Democrats, as well as campus units such as the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership, the Women's Resource Center and Residence Life.

Bruce said UA Votes 2008 is one of the most comprehensive voter registration drives the student organization has held.

"UA Votes 2006 was similar, but it was no where near this scale. We're out in full force," said Bruce, a student in the UA's Eller College of Management.

Each year, ASA and the student governments at Arizona's public institutions encourage students to register to vote and hold events that educate them about issues on the ballot and about the candidates.

This year, the Arizona Students Association has a statewide goal of registering more than 13,000 students and getting 20,000 people to pledge to vote during the general election.

"We think the more students that are part of this the better," Slugocki said, adding that the push is to involve at least 400 student volunteers at the UA.

Student engagement is essential, Bruce said, adding that the vote of young people is likely to be very important this election year.

"We want more people involved. We want them to know the issues and we want our students to be engaged in the election process," Bruce said. "It's very feasible that students in Arizona will decide the state's presidential candidate."

Beginning Sept. 26, ASUA will host presidential debate watching parties. On Sept. 26, a live feed of the first presidential debate will be broadcast during a block party at Main Gate Square.

"It's going to be a huge community-wide civic engagement event," Bruce said.

The event will be held 5 to 11 p.m. and will include speakers by elected officials and candidates, live bands, and performances by student and local groups.

Other presidential debate parties will be held Oct. 7 and Oct. 15, both at Gallagher Theatre in the Student Union Memorial Center. "That will be start of our big education push," Bruce said.

ASUA will also hold an open forum Oct. 1 at noon in the Gallagher Theatre to discuss ballot initiatives.

ASUA is also offering shuttles to students who cannot drive to their polling stations in Pima County.

Students will also have an election results party beginning at 5 p.m. at the Gallagher Theatre on the day of the election.

"We need to reach every student, even if they are registered," Bruce said. "There is information they need to know and there is an answer for everybody and for everything."