CWU helped to engage students in the voting process on Nov. 8 through a voting center located in the SURC.

“If they haven’t received their ballot from whatever county they’re from, from wherever they live, they can come here and get that ballot and be able to vote,” Jerry Pettit, Kittitas County auditor, said. “Then we’ll get it sent to [whichever] county they live so that that ballot and their vote can get counted.”

Evelyn Roehn, a senior studying political science and law and justice, was organizing the voting center. She said having this place is important because sometimes students may not know where to go to vote. 

Roehn said engaging with college students is important because some of them may be voting for the first time.

“Getting their vote [and] their voice out there is important because that shows what voting will look like in the future for the next generation,” Roehn said.

Roehn said that having this voting center on campus is also important because typically, students have a tendency not to vote. 

Yaritza Granados-Montes De Oca, junior studying safety health management and risk insurance E.P. management, said she voted because she came from a family who couldn’t vote. 

“I believe that I have a voice and I should use it to the best of my abilities and vote for people who can represent me and people like me,” Granados-Montes De Oca said. 

Granados-Montes De Oca said the issue that was most important to her was abortion. 

Noel Trujillo-Garcia, sophomore studying physical education, said he voted because other people like his parents don’t have the opportunity to vote.

“I’m Mexican, all [of] my family came from Mexico. So what I worry about the most is how residents view immigration, Border Patrol, ICE,” Trujillo-Garcia said. “My parents, they’ve been trying to get papers here for … about 20 years basically, so that’s something that I look into.” 

Tamara Caulkins and Barbara Bicchieri from the League of Women Voters were also at the voting center in the SURC. 

Caulkins said the message they hope to get across to students is that their vote matters. 

“You can’t have a democracy if people don’t vote,” Bicchieri said. 

Caulkins said it is important to engage with college campuses. Students have their minds open and they look at many different perspectives. 

“As a college student … that open education that helps you to see a lot of different sides so that makes you a really educated voter,” Caulkins said. “Those are the people, especially that we need to be thinking through how our country should be governed.”