Each year, Americans are given the right, and the privilege, to vote. However, not many of us take advantage of this American pastime simply because we have not registered to do so. Here at Pacific Lutheran University, we have acknowledged this problem with Lute Vote.
Lute Vote is a project created by Associated Students of PLU and many other university campuses to “increase civic participation through educating students about their rights and encouraging increased participation,” according to the ASPLU website.
“Young people are underrepresented in the political process,” Anika Glass, LuteVote outreach director, said. Glass also said the average voting age in Washington state is 64 years old. This year, there are 46 million Americans between the ages of 18 and 30, making college students the majority voters.
To promote Lute Vote, PLU and University of Washington Tacoma (UWT) collaborated to put on a concert Wednesday.
ASPLU scheduled a pre-party costume dance in Red Square, but no one attended. Students took the Washington Bus, a non-profit non-partisan service, to reach out to young people to vote.
The bus took them to The Swiss, a venue in downtown Tacoma. Students could not only dance to performances by SHEBEAR and Michelle and The Club, but also turn in their November ballots.
Mail-in ballots are the most popular method of voting in this state, so it is important for students to update their registration every time they move. It is especially important to update that information if residents are out of state.
If you would like to see your county’s online voter pamphlet, visit Lute Vote’s website.
