The Undergraduate Student Government gave students a chance to register to vote and learn more about their voting districts Tuesday at its first “Who’s Your Legislator” day.

USG State and National Affairs Director Michael Wong said student government leaders think ASU students needed an opportunity to learn more about state politics.

“The state level is unique because it is one of the most neglected and forgot about,” he said. “It’s small enough to where students’ voices have a huge impact … but it’s large enough to where, when we change those voices, there’s a significant impact.”

The decisions made by the state Legislature affect students more directly than federal legislation, Wong said.

At the event, students asked USG representatives about issues like tuition, which are affected by state-level politics. Members of USG gave students handouts that told them who their representatives are and how they voted on propositions about education and other pertinent issues.

Since 2006, students at ASU have seen an increase in tuition largely because of the decisions made by state lawmakers, Wong said.

“We as student government have an obligation not only to offer advice for what students should do, but [also] offer education necessary for students to make informed decisions,” he said.

In the current economy, state legislators are always looking for places to cut, Wong said, and one of the first places they look is higher education.

“In January 2009, [the Arizona Legislature] cut higher education by $141.5 million,” he said. “A lot of students may say they’re apathetic, but I think a lot of students care how much they pay for college.”

Math junior Nina Heaton said she registered to vote for the first time Tuesday at the event.

“State politics have always been important,” she said, adding that before Tuesday she never wanted to vote because she didn’t have the time to register or research candidates and initiatives.

Heaton said members of USG helped her find her district and provided a list of the bills her representatives recently voted on and how they voted.

Civil engineering freshman Ryan Furcini was already registered to vote when he stopped by the USG booth, but said he learned information that will help him on Election Day.

“I learned what [Senate Bill] 1001 was [and] when the primaries were,” he said. SB 1001 was the initiative signed by Gov. Jan Brewer that cut more than $140 million from state universities at the beginning of this year.

It’s important for voters to care about the candidates running for election, Furcini said, and students can make a difference if they show up to vote.

Biology sophomore Rini Parekh said she thinks students can have an impact on legislative decisions.

Voting in state elections is critical because education and domestic issues are extremely important, Parekh said.

Many ASU students are registered in other states beside Arizona. Parekh said she doesn’t necessarily think they should switch their registration to Arizona.

“It’s a personal decision,” she said.

Reach the reporter at ndgilber@asu.edu.