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The Daily Wildcat

The Daily Wildcat

 

‘Vote naked’ campaign launched

Alex+Kulpinski+%2F+Arizona+Daily+Wildcat%0A%0A%0APre-Neuro+Science+and+Cognitive+Science+major+Kendra+Liu+helps%0APublic+Health+major+Alan+Adejei+register+to+vote+on+the+UA+Mall+on+Monday.%0A%0A
Alex Kulpinski
Alex Kulpinski / Arizona Daily Wildcat Pre-Neuro Science and Cognitive Science major Kendra Liu helps Public Health major Alan Adejei register to vote on the UA Mall on Monday.

ASA is encouraging students to “vote naked” by signing them up for the Permanent Early Voter List.

The association launched its Vote Naked campaign Monday with a “Vote Week of Action.” Interns, volunteers and members of the association are walking around campus registering students to vote and encouraging them to join the Permanent Early Voter List, which allows voters to receive an early ballot at their own home before polls open. Individuals on the early voter list are mailed a ballot 26 days before an election. The Recorder’s Office must receive that ballot back by 7 p.m. on election day.

“Essentially the idea is if you’re on the PEVL list, then you can go ahead and vote naked at your house in your own privacy,” said Anthony Carli, a political science sophomore and intern with the association.

The association is hoping to register 800 students to vote by Thursday and the UA’s ASA chapter is hoping to have 5,000 to 6,000 students registered by November for the presidential election as well as Tucson’s Congressional District 8 special election. ASA’s statewide goal across the three in-state universities is to have 15,000 students registered total.

UA students involved with the association are targeting highly populated areas on campus, phone banking, going into classes to briefly talk about the campaign and spreading the message at UA sporting events in order to do so. As a nonpartisan organization, Carli said they are not pushing students to vote for one candidate over another, as long as they cast a vote.

“This is not like a political campaign — this is a voter registration campaign,” Carli said. “We’re not going to pester people about … who to vote for or any of that. We just want to get you to vote.”

The campaign aims to have student volunteers and interns with the association teach students that their voice matters and their vote counts. Those working on the campaign are registering students all week from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“We’re putting in as much time as we have, really, because it is midterms week,” said Malorie Askanas-Graul, a sophomore studying family studies and human development.

Another motivation behind Vote Week of Action is to ensure that students elect state legislators they truly want representing them and motivate students to get involved in the political process. This semester, some students lobbied the state capitol for the first time against bills like Senate Bill 1474, proposed legislation that would allow guns on campus and House Bill 2675, which would have required students not on a full athletic or academic scholarship to pay an extra $2,000 out-of-pocket.

“Students, right now, are under attack by the Legislature,” Carli said. “I feel like we’re getting taken advantage of, I guess, at the capitol, and hopefully this (Legislature) can help compel students to register to vote.”

The Republican primary election for Gabrielle Giffords’ former seat is April 17 and the general election will be held June 12. Only residents of that district will be able to vote in the special election.

“One minor action can have a bigger impact,” said Devin Bembnister, political science freshman and intern with the association.

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