Civic Engagement exists to better connect students to the local, state, national government and communities at these different levels. One primary way of accomplishing Civic Engagement’s mission is through voter outreach. This involved registering as many students as possible through voter registration drives and fun competitions. In order to make voting as easy as possible USG hosts an on campus Early Polling Place Location (EPL). Through a contract with Maricopa County, Civic Engagement funds and oversees the EPPL in Palo Verde West. In the 2010 general elections, ASU’s EPPL had the 4th highest turnout in the entire county. Beyond voter outreach, Civic Engagement looks for numerous ways to involve students in the greater community through opportunities with the City of Tempe and local community service groups. We encourage you to explore and utilize the many great resources on our department website. We would also like to hear from you if you have any questions or want to get more involved.
Current Update
“February 13th, join us for our first, ”Why do you love America?” event by the MU fountain between 11:00-1:00pm. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, we want students to showcase and write down why they love America, what they love about being a part of this nation and what they’re looking forward to with this new Presidential term. We are also promoting that students view the State of the Union Address that will be given by President Obama on February 12th. This will provide the nation with an more in depth look at what is to come this year, specifically talking about our current and future fiscal state, as well as other initiatives the Obama administration will be pursuing in conjunction with congress. As the Civic Engagement Department of USG, we urge you to engage yourself in the community around you and to immerse yourself in the culture and political activity local and state government entities. Below are a few resources of on campus opportunities for students to promote their personal political interests. Please let us know if you have any questions on how you can get involved in the community and participate politically. We will be promoting our voter registration push starting next week, look for more information on that!
Week of February 4th, 2013
“The Spring semester has begun and the Civic Engagement Department is excited for the various initiatives we will be creating and completing this semester. As a continuation of Fall semester, our voter registration drive will continue until we reach our original goal of 5,000 registered student voters. We will also be launching the anticipated Policy Website where you can find resources on foreign, federal, state and local government activities as well as ways to get engaged in the community. Another important aspect of this Spring semester will be the Student Civic Health Index we will be conducting. The civic health of our student body is important for a number of reasons. By assessing the civic knowledge and participation of our students, we can provide more effective and resourceful information and events to continue to engage them in the community around us. ASU has the largest student body and we want to make sure our students are informed. This index will initially calculate the current status of student participation both politically and through volunteer engagements and will provide a foundation for future use.
Final 2012 Update
“The Civic Engagement Department will continue to work on informing students on issues or initiatives that may be of interest. We are working on a research report that is surveying student voter interests and preferences. The official data collection will be reported in one week. Be sure to look out for our Blog that will be launching in a few weeks that will highlight, local, state and federal issues and the steps being down to carry them through or oppose them. As a department, we are also trying to provide more ways for students to get involved in political issues or issues that may effect their communities. Please use this blog as a place to find local and state projects you could be a part of!
Week of November 5th, 2012
“This week is what Civic Engagement has been preparing for all semester! We want students to GET OUT AND VOTE! The 2012 Presidential Election will take place November 6th and we are excited to have registered so many new and first time student voters. Please be sure you arrive at the correct polling location. You can only vote once and you can only vote at your assigned location. Please use the resources below as a guide to any questions you may have. Also, if you have an early ballot and have NOT mailed it in, do not put it in the mail. Bring the ballot completed to a polling location in your county and you may turn it in there.
Week of October 29th, 2012
Week of October 22nd, 2012