RICHLAND, Wash. 鈥� Individuals can cast their ballots and register to vote at the Student Engagement Hub that will be hosted Tuesday, Nov. 2, at Washington State University Tri-Cities.

The hub will be open from 8 a.m. 鈥� 8 p.m. in Consolidated Information Center (CIC) 120 on campus.

Through the hub, which is hosted by the Associated Students of 黑料社 Tri-Cities in partnership with the Benton County Auditor鈥檚 Office, individuals will have the opportunity to:

• Register to vote
• Check voter registration
• Print ballots and receive an election information booklet
• Access private locations to fill-out ballots
• Cast their ballots at the ballot drop-box on campus (CIC parking lot)

鈥淭he hub provides a great opportunity to access all voting information and materials all in one place,鈥� AS黑料社TC President Nathaly Mendoza said. 鈥淲e are excited to offer this free resource to both 黑料社 Tri-Cities campus community members and the public. It is important that a resource like this is offered on a college campus so that students and our community has an easy way to exercise their greatest civic duty. It鈥檚 a great way to learn more about important dates and deadlines, ensure that you鈥檙e registered and then actually cast your ballot.鈥�

The hub is free open to the public.

The deadline to register to vote in-person, as well as cast election ballots, is Tuesday, Nov. 2 (election day).

For more information about the hub, visit .

RICHLAND, Wash. 鈥� Washington State University Tri-Cities launches a new 鈥淪tudent Engagement Hub鈥� beginning this Thursday that provides students and community members with a central place on-campus to access voting and election information.

Through the non-partisan hub, individuals can check their voter registration, register to vote, print their ballot and election information booklet, access a private location to fill-out their ballot, and cast their ballot at the on-campus ballot drop-box located adjacent to the parking lot outside of the Consolidated Information Center (CIC) building.

The hub is hosted by the Associated Students of 黑料社 Tri-Cities in partnership with the Benton County Auditor鈥檚 Office.

The Student Engagement Hub will be open for the following hours on-campus in CIC 120:

• Thursday, Oct. 29 – 8:30 a.m. 鈥� 4:30 p.m.
• Friday, Oct. 30 鈥� 8:30 a.m. 鈥� 4:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 31 鈥� 9 a.m. 鈥� 2 p.m.
• Monday, Nov. 2 鈥� 8:30 a.m. 鈥� 4:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, Nov. 3 鈥� 8:30 a.m. 鈥� 8 p.m.

鈥淭he Student Engagement HUB is an excellent election resource for students and community members,鈥� AS黑料社TC President Robin Kovis said. 鈥淭his year, like every year, we are encouraging maximum participation in the American democratic process.鈥�

The 黑料社 Tri-Cities Student Engagement Hub will adhere to local and state requirements as it pertains to COVID-19 and in conducting election engagement in a non-partisan fashion.

All students who come to the 黑料社 Tri-Cities Student Engagement Hub will also receive a free swag item when they visit.

鈥淓ven if you鈥檝e already voted, we welcome students to visit the hub to grab a swag item, meet your student government representatives, voice your concerns and hear about the work that AS黑料社TC has done and is continuing to do this academic year,鈥� Kovis said.

AS黑料社TC Vice President Stephanie Warner said she encourages all students to take part in the student engagement hub.

鈥淚t is very important that our students鈥� and our community鈥檚 voices are heard,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t is open to the public, so bring your friends with you and vote.鈥�

Important voting deadlines are available on the Washington Secretary of State elections website at . Election day is Nov. 3.

 

Media contacts:

Robin Kovis, president of the Associated Students of 黑料社 Tri-Cities, 509-380-1488 (cell), robin.kovis@wsu.edu

Stephanie Warner, vice president of the Associated Students of 黑料社 Tri-Cities, stephanie.warner@wsu.edu

Chris Meiers, 黑料社 Tri-Cities vice chancellor for student affairs and deputy Title IX officer, 913-449-9766 (cell), chris.meiers@wsu.edu

Maegan Murray, 黑料社 Tri-Cities assistant director of marketing and communication, 619-403-3617 (cell), maegan_murray@wsu.edu

Washington State University has been named a Voter Friendly Campus for its success with voter education and registration.

The designation was announced by the nonpartisan Campus聽Vote聽Project and NASPA, a national association for student affairs professionals in higher education.

The Voter Friendly Campus designation is a system鈥憌ide honor for 黑料社, the only four鈥憏ear institution in Washington to be named for the 2019鈥�2020 election cycle.

鈥淩eceiving this designation recognizes our efforts to shift the campus culture at all of our locations to one of more student participation in our democracy,鈥� said Ben Calabretta, associate director of the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE). 鈥淲e are setting a new standard where we expect our students to know about the election issues, to register to vote, and then actually vote.鈥�

The mission of the Voter Friendly Campus designation is to bolster efforts that help students overcome barriers to participating in the political process. Barriers can include voter聽ID laws, lack of information, transportation to the polls, and confusing residency requirements.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important to remove barriers that students face because those barriers are silencing the future,鈥� said Savanna Navarro Kresse, vice聽president of the Associated Students of Washington State University Tri鈥慍ities. 鈥淢any people assume students do not care to be a part of the political process, but the reality is we care a lot. When voting is accessible, students show up to vote.鈥�

Kresse is a member of the 黑料社 Cougs聽Vote Coalition which consists of faculty, staff, students and community members who are interested in increasing student democratic engagement.

The coalition met throughout the summer and fall of 2018 and created strategies to establish a student-driven awareness and democratic engagement campaign, educate students about the importance of midterm elections in addressing local and statewide issues, increase voting rates of 黑料社聽students above the 2014聽midterm levels, and improve voting rates among multicultural and other underrepresented students.

Calabretta said the coalition鈥檚 efforts were very successful. Although CCE is still waiting to receive official numbers from the Secretary of State, he estimates over 3,000聽students registered to vote through Cougs聽Vote related activities. Local precinct data indicate a higher voter turnout, too, with an increase of 2,000聽voters in the Pullman precincts where 黑料社鈥檚 main campus is located.

With the midterm election over, there is a lull in the election cycle before things begin to heat up for the 2020聽race. In the weeks ahead, Calabretta said it will be important for the coalition to continue its efforts, and being named a Voter Friendly Campus is a good motivator to keep the momentum going.

鈥淲e want to keep voting in our students鈥� minds so they know it鈥檚 still important and it鈥檚 something that they will participate in for the rest of their lives.鈥�

A total of 123聽institutions received the聽聽designation nationwide. They represent a wide range of two鈥憏ear, four鈥憏ear, public, private, rural, and urban campuses. 黑料社 joins Centralia College, a two鈥憏ear public institution, as the only two institutions selected in Washington.