Faculty, students, and alumni gathered in Red Square to celebrate civic engagement at PLU’s Rock The Vote this past Friday, Sept 13. The event was hosted in collaboration between the political science and social work departments, along with ASPLU to get Lutes excited to participate in the upcoming November elections.
Rock The Vote featured a variety of events; Washington State University PhD candidate Joe Bolton hosted Constitution Trivia, university band Mariachi del Pacifico performed, as well as local indie-rock band Hot Stepmom. The ASPLU set up engagement tables surrounding Red Square with fun activities to encourage political participation in the PLU community. Snacks and patriotic RockStar spritzers were available to enjoy while playing games like Jenga and making bracelets.
Along with fun activities, ASPLU provided resources for Lutes to get registered to vote. Cady Wood, the ASPLU Lute Vote director, spoke on the importance of getting Lutes registered, “We’ve gotten some Lutes registered to vote, especially out-of-state students, we’re trying to connect them with the resources available to them.” While Washington will offer same-day voter registration at the polls on November 5, by pre-registering, Lutes can have the opportunity to cast their absentee or mail-in ballots. Dr. Maria Chávez, Chair of the Department of Political Science, encourages all Lutes to “Check your voter registration and vote, vote, vote!”
Local representatives Jani Hitchen and Kristina Walker also addressed the crowd, highlighting the importance of voting at the local level. “Our future President doesn’t care if Parkland has sidewalks, but your local government does!” said Jani Hitchen, District 6 Councilmember and PLU alumni. “Your voice is your vote when it comes to the people who represent you.”
The event is one of many ASPLU will host leading up to Election Day and into the school year. They are encouraging Lutes to stay civically engaged beyond Election Day by participating in ASPLU elections later in the semester.
