State legislators urge students to get out and vote

By Eric Lorenz
West Times Staff

The 2008 Presidential Election is less that a month away, and the push to get people registered and participating in the process is in full swing.

On Oct. 1, several members of the Arizona State Legislature were on hand to speak to students about the importance of voting. Those in attendance included Dist. 10 Sen. Linda Gray, Dist. 10 Reps. Jackie Thrasher and Jim Weiers, and Dist. 12 Rep. John Nelson.

The event, put on by ASASUW, the Arizona Students Association, and Arizona PIRG, was part of the Student Vote Coalition, which is emphasizing the importance of getting young people involved in politics and the election process.

The legislators all urged students to get involved in politics, but to be educated in doing so. “Vote, but be informed. Don’t just vote because somebody has a really cool name or great signs,” said Rep. Thrasher. “Do your research, and find out what the candidates stand for. Look to multiple resources so you can find out what they are really about, and how they vote.”

Rep. Nelson seconded that idea. “Do your research; that is important. Everybody sells sound bites. Sound bites aren’t the truth necessarily, and you need to research,” he said.

“You’re in college. You’re learning how to read and study and research things. Use that talent, but then take that next step and vote. That’s the biggest thing you can do for your country.”

Rep. Weiers was disappointed, however, with the limited turnout for the event. “I was ... expecting to see hundreds of people here today, and so I’m a little concerned about that,” he said. “I mean I know how hard you folks (the volunteers) have worked on this, and the fact is it goes to show you we all work as hard as we can and it’s still hard to get people engaged.

“Most people are reluctant. They want to sit back and they want to complain later on about the way things are when they’ve done nothing about it.”

Rep. Weiers later clarified his statement as being disappointed in general by a perceived apathy towards politics and involvement and praised those who had worked on the event.

“It’s difficult to get people to do things. When you have 100-degree temperatures outside, it makes it worse. When you’re not offering pizza and beer, it makes it even harder,” Weiers said.

Sen. Gray added that the number of students in attendance for this event was similar to that of the Clean Election debate, noting that involvement is down across the board.

But despite the low turnout, the message was clear: Voting is important.

“If you start voting in college ... it’s going to become a habit when you get older,” said Andrew Buttrey, a volunteer with Arizona PIRG.

“Whether we want to believe it or not, our one vote does count,” added Ryan Caracciolo, ASASUW president.

Rep. Nelson also stated why he felt voting was important. “Millions of soldiers, men and women, have died protecting [the right to vote], and if you don’t use it, a lot of people have died in vain,” he said.

“I like to go down to the polls on [Election Day], and walk in and get that little stupid sticker that says ‘I voted today,’ ” Weiers added. “And I’m very proud of that, and I wear it all day long.”

Both Nelson and Thrasher stated that they felt involvement now from the younger generation is vital going forward. “I think it’s important that those of us that are elected and are older show support for the younger groups coming along and get them involved,” said Nelson. “What we’re doing today, some of you are going to be doing in the future, and ... we will pass that torch on.”

“We hope that you will follow in our footsteps and help us and lead our community when we’re old and retired – which is really close,” added Thrasher.