Activities encourage students to vote
Registering students to vote and educating students about political candidates in upcoming elections are the goals of Civic Awareness Week, Tagg Archibald said.
Archibald, Associated Students of Utah State University executive vice president, said Civic Awareness Week is meant to bring attention to Congress and the Legislature that students do care about what is going on in Utah politics.
“If the students start to vote and voice their opinions, we’ll see a lot more respect for our school,” Archibald said.
The program is set up for students as a way to understand the candidates and their issues, Archibald said.
Thursday morning Steve Thompson spoke on the Taggart Student Center Patio about the importance the student vote carries.
Thompson is the congressional candidate for Utah’s First District.
“The first thing I need to tell you is I’m a Democrat,” Thompson said to students on the TSC Patio.
Thompson said during his nine years on the Logan City Council, he dealt with various issues that students are interested in, such as parking, landlord-tenant relations and a sign ordinance.
Thompson said it is important for students to understand there are different choices in political campaigns and issues. The federal deficit and education funding were topics Thompson spoke to students about.
“A lot of things we do federally, affects you as students,” Thompson said.
Student voting in upcoming elections is important, Thompson said. If students voted in Logan, the number of student voters could elect a City Council member, he said.
“But you [students] don’t vote,” Thompson said.
In conjunction with Civil Awareness Week, Thompson said students should support the troops by signing the book offered on the TSC Patio.
Rob Bishop, Republican candidate for first congressional district, will speak Friday as part of Civic Awareness Week, Archibald said. ASUSU tried to schedule both candidates to speak on the same day, but due to scheduling conflicts, it was not able to be done.
The option to listen to both candidates offers students a means to educate themselves about political issues, Archibald said.
“Students can educate themselves [about voting],” Archibald said, “and the candidates can educate themselves about Utah state as well.”
Archibald said the main reason students should vote is to see the difference in the state legislature.
“We are encouraging all students to educate themselves on the issues and to vote,” he said. “Students don’t vote so legislatures don’t consider our voices until we get older.”
Johanna Carling, a junior majoring in political science and anthropology, said student votes are essential. College students do not have a lot of money but do have a lot of time and passion, she said, and therefore are usually more informed about political issues.
“If students voted in the state legislature, or campus initiatives, then tuition wouldn’t increase so drastically,” Carling said.
Ariel Rosario, a senior majoring in electrical engineering, said Civil Awareness Week is a good idea to educate students about voting.
“Everybody can go out and vote,” Rosario said, “I think it’s cool.”
Dustin Meritt, a junior majoring in communications, said it is important for students to register to vote and understand the candidates. If students are registered and educated about the issues, then they have more right to complain, he said.
“If your going to complain about a candidate and you are not registered,” Meritt said, “you better keep your mouth shut.”
-kcashton@cc.usu.edu