Campus Unites for #CPPVotes

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Campus Unites for #CPPVotes

ASI Senator Amber Yoshioka, right, helps a student fill out a voter registration form on September 25, 2012.

With the general election around the corner, the campus community is coming together to get students, faculty and staff involved and voting.

ASI President Christopher Osuala has been working with teams of ASI senators to register incoming freshmen and transfer students.

“It’s part of your right as a citizen,” Osuala says. “If you don’t exercise this right, you lose your vote and give up your power to make a difference.”

As a group, ASI has registered more than 650 students through its campaign, which started in the summer. The goal is to register at least 1,000 students by Oct. 22, the last day to register to vote in California for the Nov. 6 election. ASI will also host a polling location on campus on election day.

#CPPVotes on Monday, Oct. 15

Expect to see a voter registration table in University Park from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 15. Next to the table will be a 7-Election booth sponsored by 7-Eleven, offering free coffee and pictures with Obama and Romney look-alikes.

The voter registration initiative is also on social media. The campus community is encouraged to contribute their thoughts using the hashtag #CPPVotes on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Instagram.

President Michael Ortiz and ASI President Chris Osuala man a voter registration table on September 25, 2012.

Educate the Vote

President Michael Ortiz is speaking up too, reminding students how this election affects them.

“If you haven’t done so already, please register to vote and inform yourselves before the Nov. 6 election,” Ortiz said in his Oct. 1 video message. “There are propositions on the ballot that will directly affect Cal Poly Pomona’s budget and our tuition costs.”

Proposition 30 is particularly relevant to student voters. If it fails, the CSU will suffer a $250 million trigger cut, with Cal Poly Pomona’s share amount to $12 million. That is in addition to the nearly $50 million that has been cut from the university’s budget in recent years.

A panel of faculty and student leaders will discuss election issues, the history of voter rights and access to voting on Wednesday, Oct. 17. The campus community is invited to join the conversation at 2 p.m. in Ursa Major C.

(Top photo: ASI Senator Amber Yoshioka, right, helps a student fill out a voter registration form on Sept. 25. Bottom photo: President Ortiz and ASI President Chris Osuala work the voter registration table.)