More than 34,000 people voted in the 2024 election at one of Arizona State University’s campus polling places, and the undergraduate student government at ASU says it played a significant role in that student turnout.
The group’s efforts ran parallel to ASU being named one of the most engaged campuses for college student voting in 2024 by ALL IN, a national organization seeking to get college students more involved in the democratic process.
Ryan Cantrill is the director of government affairs for student government.
In the days leading up to Election Day, he said part of their work stretched from getting students rides from their residences to voting centers to helping first-time voters on the ground.
“There was an energy of excitement, accomplishment ... honestly, I’ve never felt anything like it being on campus before," Cantrill said.
Jesus Rendon-Silva, the director of civic engagement for the group, added that both him and Cantrill tried to exceed what was expected of their roles.
"As soon as we both got on to campus to start the fall 2024 semester ... Ryan and I we're just pushing to get the most done in the little amount of time we had," Rendon-Silva said.
Cantrill and Rendon-Silva said their launching a new initiative next year with student government called “Community Conversations.” He said the initiative will provide a public forum for people to interact with ASU and other community leaders.
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