-Jamie Hershman
They aren’t preaching for the ASUO elections but rather for students to register as voters for elections through the state of Oregon and the nation as a whole. They are the Vote or Vote campaign.
The students volunteering for the Vote or Vote campaign happened to fill the UO campus around the same time as the ASUO elections were occurring. I thought it was just another campaign group vying for my vote in the student elections. I avoided all soliciting because I already knew who I was going to vote for in the elections, and I was fed up with the whole system.
But, when they continued to approach people during the hiatus of the ASUO elections, I realized they weren’t attempting to get people to vote for the school elections, but actually getting people to vote in the Oregon elections.
Vote or Vote volunteers have been storming the campus in order to register students to vote for the upcoming primaries in May. Their goal was to have registered 2500 student voters by Tuesday so as to have a large student voting population that make it hard for politicians to ignore.
Students are highly encouraged to vote first and foremost so they can have a say in their education. Without students being active in voting, in-state and out-of-state tuition could increase. Vote or Vote wants students to understand the voting process and the benefits we can receive through voting. They encourage out-of-state students to vote (the state of Oregon allows non-residents to vote as long as registered) because their tuition is effected just the same, if not more than in-state students, and they live in Oregon for more than half the year.
Their tactics to obtain more registered voters have ranged from clip-boarding passersby making announcements in classes, and door-to-door soliciting. While I feel their campaign is beneficial and positive, I do believe some of their tactics for gaining voters are over-the-top. Going door-to-door feels a like an invasion of privacy, and I, personally, do not appreciate soliciting. They even go as far as to do “dorm storms” and knock on the dorms of students living in the dorms.
While they only have been focusing on registering students, they are soon going to begin informing about the May primaries and explain the different measures that can be voted on. Also, they will be more active come fall with the November elections approaching.
Overall, the Vote or Vote campaign sends a positive message about voting to our generation. Young people do not tend to be prominent voters in elections, but, with Vote or Vote registering more students, they can have a considerable voter turnout.
Special thanks to Daisy Quiñonez, a volunteer for the Vote or Vote campaign at the University of Oregon.
It is important for students to register to vote in the county where they are attending school. People are affected by the action of their local governments and should vote on those issues. To do so you must be registered in that county.