As the 2016 presidential election approaches, politics are dominating both the news and student life at ASU. Political clubs on campus increase in both presence and action to prepare for election day.
Students for Hillary, a national organization dedicated to gaining support for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has an increasing campus presence at ASU. The club aims to increase student awareness of Clinton’s platforms and what makes her the best choice to serve as the next president.
Kanin Pruter, political science sophomore and a longtime Clinton supporter, founded Students for Hillary in December 2014 following an internship with the Ready for Hillary Super PAC, where he worked to persuade Clinton to run for president. He now serves as the president of Students for Hillary.
Although Pruter principally supports Clinton, he acknowledges that being able to work effectively with individuals of different political parties is a necessary skill that needs to be emphasized both nationally and at ASU.
“When I first started the organization, I wanted to reach out to all of the other political organization leaders to see if we could form a coalition of political organizations taking either a nonpartisan or a bipartisan stance,” Pruter said.
In an effort to gain cross-party enthusiasm regarding the political process and the importance of voter registration, Pruter spoke with the Young Democrats and College Republicans at ASU, pitching the idea of a unified bipartisan coalition.
“They all sounded really engaged and liked the idea,” Pruter said. “I’m hoping that sometime this semester or next semester we can end up registering more people to vote the closer we get to the election. That way we can speak with students and get them engaged and informed about the issues rather than the partisan politics.”
Pruter’s connections to the Ready for Hillary Super PAC became particularly advantageous when he coordinated the "Ready for Hillary" bus to stop at ASU as part of its cross-country tour, where many pledged support for the Democratic candidate.
“We wound up signing up, I believe, 65-70 students that day,” Pruter said. “That was a base list of students that we had, and we’ve just been building it up.”
On the opposite side of the political spectrum lies another student organization, Students for Jeb, formed shortly before former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush officially declared his candidacy for president.
Students for Jeb works both within ASU and out in the local community to raise awareness regarding what Bush stands for and why he is the best choice for the presidency.
Economics sophomore Shay Khatiri is the current president of Students for Jeb and emphasized the importance of getting ASU students involved.
“We’re looking for people who are willing to endorse the governor officially,” Khatiri said. “Or, even better, to join the campaign and start doing what we are doing.”
Members of Students for Jeb wear campaign T-shirts to student events and politically-oriented classes in order to recruit interested students to join the cause.
In addition to working with several ASU organizations, Students for Jeb partnered with Phoenix-based Gordon C. James Public Relations to host their first debate watching party.
“We are basically a bridge between ASU students and the campaign, so if anyone from that end wants to help the students, we are here to coordinate,” Khatiri said.
Although Khatiri said many individuals, especially in the millennial generation, do not have an interest in participating in politics, each and every voice can have an impact on who is elected to serve in the government.
“Whoever is an elected official is going to affect your life whether you like it or not,” Khatiri said. “It’s better to participate in that process and vote for the person who will actually have a positive impact on your life.”
With the recent government shutdowns and seemingly never-ending arguments amongst government representatives, excessive partisanship has become a growing concern among American citizens.
For students who are fed up with party politics and acknowledge the importance of having a voice in government, clubs such as the Voice of the People Association are a perfect fit.
VPA Arizona was founded by former Phoenix mayor and attorney general Terry Goddard; the ASU chapter began at the end of August. Maegan Johnson, president and public service and public policy junior, wrote in an email that the club “was created to promote civic engagement among students.”
“Students have the lowest percentage of voter turnout," Johnson wrote. "We want to change that. Students need to become more involved in the electoral and political process because we are an important part of society and Arizona's future, so we deserve to have our voice heard.”
One of the central missions of VPA ASU is to register students to vote. With the upcoming presidential election, the millennial generation having a voice in who is elected to lead our government is crucial.
At VPA’s last National Voter Registration Day event, co-hosted with the Undergraduate Student Government Downtown, 199 students were registered to vote, Johnson wrote. The group intends to register more people to vote before the upcoming presidential election.
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Reach the reporter at Olivia.Turner-Tolley@asu.edu or follow @OliviaTTolley on Twitter.
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