Eastern Oregon University Example Campus Vote Initiative Program
Eastern Oregon University
La Grande, Oregon
- Organizer(s):
- Student Group (Student Government Association)
- Size:
- 1,900 students
The Student Government Association of Eastern Oregon University began its campaign with a goal of registering 700 students to vote on campus. Using no financial support from their institution’s administration, the SGA was able to mobilize more than 30 student volunteers to implement its strategic plan. This plan consisted of a three-pronged approach to increasing student participation in the election: registration, education, and getting students out to vote.
In addition to organizing several activities on campus, the SGA also made a remarkable commitment to providing voter education opportunities to the larger Eastern Oregon community. Students trained by members of the SGA traveled throughout the eastern part of the state delivering the campaign’s nonpartisan message to various community groups. Using the radio and newspaper ads, the organization was successful at inspiring civic dialogue both on and off campus. At the conclusion of its registration drive, the SGA had registered over 600 students and some 200 community members. The activities at EOU were part of a larger initiative by the Oregon Student Organization — made up of student body presidents from across the state — to register 27,000 students in the state of Oregon. 26,000 were actually registered statewide.
Project Highlights:
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Kick-Off Barbecue
The SGA hosted a community barbecue in the town square of La Grande to kick off its campaign. All political candidates for local and state offices were invited to the barbecue with several of them showing up, including the State Republican Majority Leader. Candidates were allowed time on stage to briefly introduce their platform but were not allowed to debate each other; audience members with questions were encouraged to approach the candidates following their formal remarks. SGA worked in conjunction with the city to organize the barbecue, and food and supplies were paid for through private donations. There was a very large community turnout at this event.
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Issue Education Campaign
With 26 measures on the Oregon ballot this year, SGA members felt it important to educate fellow students and community members about their meaning. Often written in hard-to-decipher language, student organizers paraphrased the ballot initiatives in order to make them clearer and easier to understand. The meaning of one particular initiative involving a new tax proposal was so ambiguous that students created an easy-to-read table illustrating what citizens could expect to pay under the new tax scheme compared to what their contribution was under the current system. SGA developed two presentations — one for student groups and one for community groups — that they then employed to educate people about the ballot initiatives. SGA members and trained student volunteers traveled throughout the eastern portion of the state delivering their presentation to community groups. Senior citizens and unions were specifically targeted. All presenters took voter registration forms with them into the community so that potential new voters could be registered.
