CSU students register to vote on National Voter Registration Day

Jonathan Matheny

September 24, 2014

(left to right) ASCSU director of governmental affairs Jake Christensen, Sophomore Morgan Royal and Sophomore Kelsey Bigham help CSU students register on the plaza outside of the Lory Student Center Tuesday. (Photo credit: Jonathan Matheny)

For National Voter Registration Day, New Era Colorado and the Associated Students of Colorado State University teamed up Tuesday to encourage CSU students to register to vote.

The groups had a booth set up on the plaza just outside of the newly constructed Lory Student Center, with several legally trained registrars and prizes available to students who stopped by to register.

“We are trying to encourage millennials (those reaching young adulthood near the year 2000) to get involved and have their voices heard,” said Emma Marion, a senior at CSU and member of New Era Colorado. “Right now we’re the biggest generation; we just passed the baby boomers, and only 22 percent of us vote. Our voice isn’t being heard.”

According to Marion, the baby boomers are dominating the polls despite the fact that they are now outnumbered by millennials.

“The young voters are going to be making the decisions in this country,” ASCSU Director of Governmental Affairs Jake Christensen said.

This includes CSU students, the majority of whom are considered millennials.

“It’s something important that you need to do, and every college student should do,” said freshman business student Chris Weber, when asked about the importance of getting young citizens to vote.

New Era Colorado also teamed up with the University of Colorado Student Government, creating a competition between the in-state rivals to register the most voters for National Voter Registration Day.

“The competition with CU is a great way to get the state’s two leading institutions in on this,” Christensen said Tuesday.

The unofficial counts for the day put CSU just ahead of the competition, registering 247 students to CU’s 235.

The day was a success, according to Marion, who was excited to hear that the final numbers for both schools far exceeded their goal.

Marion also mentioned that New Era Colorado will remain on campus to register student voters until Oct. 14, the deadline for voter registration in Colorado.

Collegian ASCSU beat reporter Jonathan Matheny can be reached online at news@collegian.com and on Twitter at @jonathanmathen2

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