Voting may be poppin’, but is it informed?
The Arizona Students’ Association’s UA Votes campaign, which aims to register university students to vote, exceeded its 100-student-per-day goal last week by signing up 125 students in one day. The method by which UA Votes achieved such numbers, however, can only be called silly. In an event goofily named “”Voting is Poppin’,”” UA Votes and ASA representatives handed out Otter Pops and popcorn on the UA Mall on Sept. 15 and 16 to students who agreed to register to vote.
While the representatives of both groups seemed well-enough informed about the issues and candidates on the ballot, at least based on statements they made to Wildcat reporters, the same is unlikely true for those they registered. And that’s the problem with programs like UA Votes.
Voting shouldn’t be a gimmick. Democracy isn’t “”poppin’;”” it’s actually pretty messy and hard to do well. If UA Votes wants to make a difference in the democratic process — a near-insurmountable but noble goal — it’s not going to do so by handing out free stuff.
Rather than organizing cute events to make voting more “”fun”” and “”out there”” for students, ASA needs to treat its constituents like adults. If students want to register to vote, it should be because they feel voting is an important means of expressing their political will and influencing local, state and national policy in a constructive way. It should not be to get a snack.
For a silly approach to what should be a serious cause, ASA and UA Votes get an incomplete.
You stayed (sort of) classy, Wildcats
After Arizona football fans demonstrated now-infamously asinine behavior by rushing the field after last season’s almost-win against Oregon, officials were wary about whether the ZonaZoo section would manage to behave itself this time around. The 7-foot concrete wall now adorning the student section in Arizona Stadium is a testament to just how nervous Arizona Athletics was about fan antics.
If any game was going to test drunken Wildcats enthusiasts’ ability to do their school proud, it was Saturday’s match against the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Despite the intensity of the game, which ended in a 34-27 upset victory for Arizona, ZonaZoo mostly had its act together. Only a few over-enthusiastic students attempted to rush the field. Everyone else celebrated from the student section, where they belonged.
Though there were some crowd-control issues early on, ZonaZoo for the most part carried itself like exactly what it’s trying to become: the student section of a team to be reckoned with. In addition to being obnoxious, rushing the field and other such stunts represent rookie mistakes. The best way for fans to help an upstart team look like it belongs is to act like they’re used to outstanding upsets like the one seen against Iowa.
Arizona fans did their team a favor by keeping their cool Saturday, and for that, they deserve a pass.
— Editorials are determined by the Daily Wildcat opinions board and written by one of its members. They can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
