University of Arizona - Desert Yearbook (Tucson, AZ)

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SMEgl aOiXo] QjQ© u a by Kristen Connors SUA encouraged students to set aside political differences and created a theme of unity and support in the 2004 elec- tion through their civic engagement campaign, said Alistair Chapman, president of the Associated Students of the University of Arizona. The outpouring of student support could be seen all over campus in the weeks leading up to the presidential election. ASUA ' s program consisted of three parts; voter registration, edu- cation and voting. Under the registration aspect, ASUA enticed students to register through events like the Rock the Vote concert. Nappy Roots and local punk band, Troy ' s Bucket, rocked the stage at the Oct. 1 performance. Business junior Ashley Post said the concert was a great incentive for students. Music is a good way to re- ward students who give their input by taking time to vote, Post said. Concert tickets were free in ex- change for proof of voter registration and cat card. Students who wanted to attend the concert could easily register at the ASUA office or before the concert at Bear Down Gym. The concert was the last attempt to register students with the national deadline just three days away. ASUA also provided a free non- partisan speaker series to educate students on election issues. The series launched on the evening of Sep. 2 with an appearance by the Libertar- ian Presidential Candidate Michael Badnarik. Other speakers included; Governor Janet Napolitano, author of Michael Moore is a Big, Fat, Stupid, White Man David Hardy, filmmaker Michael Moore, Arizona congress- man Jim Kolbe and a senatorial debate between candidates John McCain and Stuart Starky. The response for the speakers was generally very strong, Chapman said. The largest student response was at Michael Moore ' s speech. Students from all over the political spectrum poured into the sold-out McKale Cen- ter on Oct. 1 1 to welcome the director of the controversial film Fahrenheit 9 11 . Moore attracted a crowd of 14,500 people, the largest turnout on his tour to-date he said. The final and most challenging aspect of the civic engage- ment program was actually getting students to the polls. Chapman said. This was the first year an early polling site was setup on campus and became the busiest early polling location in all of Pima County. Nearly 2,100 voters came to the ASUA office to cast their vote from Oct. 25 to Oct. 29. Long lines of anxious students waited out- side the ASUA office at 5 PM on Oct. 29, the closing of the early voting site. Over 750 students voted that Friday alone. Freshman and first-time voter Chloe Baker said she registered and voted right on campus thanks to ASUA. Like all the signs said around campus, it ' s so easy there ' s no reason not to! The efforts of ASUA, the Young Democrats, and the College of Repub- licans were central to the high Pima County youth turnout, said Chapman. It was incredible to witness the apathy on campus nearly disappear, Chapman said. Students played an active role in this election, and I am proud that ASUA was able to provide a medium through which this could be achieved. ASUA gave students an opportu- nity to form knowledgeable political opinions through their campaign. They wanted to make sure that stu- dents not only voted, but also knew why and what they were voting for. The efforts of organizations like ASUA are the reason why nearly 2 1 million people between the ages of 18 and 30 voted nationally in this elec- tion. Left: R. Prophet of Nappy Roots performs dating the ASUA rock the vote concert at Bear Down Field. 24

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Left: Sen. John Kerry, left and President Bush greet the audience before the final presiden- tial debate in Tempe, Ariz., on Wednesday, October 13, 2004. Below: Students line up to register to vote outside of the ASUA office in the Student Union Memorial Center prior to the election. Aickai Ik 1 26