Associated Students hosted a joint Rock the Vote event and paint your political scene event on Sept. 25 for National Voter Registration Day.
The event — coordinated by A.S. Vice President of External Relations Angelica Espinoza — encouraged SDSU students to register to vote in the upcoming presidential elections in November 2020. Along with aiding students in the registration process, A.S. provided paint and canvases for students to express political views and hopes for the future.
Espinoza said Rock the Vote is a reflection of SDSU and A.S.’s feelings of responsibility to educate students on the current political situation.
“As an institution, we have so much area of impact,” she said. “If we don’t use our platform or at least our spaces and mobilize these groups on campus we’re not doing our due diligence of making sure that we do our civic duty to vote.”
Espinoza said one of the main goals of the event was to extend political participation to a wide range of students, some of which may not normally be involved.
“When we think of politics we think poli-sci majors, (International Security and Conflict Resolution) majors, but we brought in our students, we brought in different people in different majors,” Espinoza said. “That’s really what I wanted, just making sure we have a good mix. We can have the conversation, learn something, but have a good time without being afraid.”
The paint your political scene was an attempt to connect with those students who wouldn’t normally feel as though they have a place in the political conversation. Espinoza said the activity was important for understanding political differences.
“By having them paint their political scene, we really get to see an intimate picture of what their world is like,” she said.
Many students at the event were appreciative of the school’s efforts to inform and involve new voters. Environmental science sophomore Kellie Logsdon said she was previously unaware of her voter registration status.
“When I saw the email (for the event), I didn’t even know if I had registered to vote or how to do that, so I thought that was really nice, especially for people who are registering to vote for the first time,” Logsdon said.
According to The Washington Post, the number of college students showing up to the polls has increased in recent elections by almost 20%, as students begin to realize the effect political changes now will have on their lives down the road.
“The people who are the youngest and able to vote, 18 and 19-year-olds, they’re going to have these politicians in office for a good portion of their lives,” said environmental engineering freshman Sydney Burnham. “After that period of them being in office, we’re still going to reaping the benefits or maybe trying to deal with the consequences that were brought from the people that were previously in office.”
With the upcoming election in mind, biology senior Josephine Chu acknowledged the responsibilities that come with being able to vote and the role young voters now play in deciding their own future.
“I think we do have a responsibility to be aware of the people being elected into office right now and what they’re standing for,” Chu said. “I think it’s our responsibility to be informed, even if we’re not voting.”
Aerospace engineering sophomore Jimmy Becker said he was hopeful that this generation would be the one to bring about change.
“I would definitely say the future does belong to young people,” Becker said.
