Thatcher — “I want to say this to young voters here and across Arizona: Your vote matters. Your vote matters.”
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes joins the celebration of the EAC’s designation as a voter-friendly campus by the Fair Election Campus Voting Project and the NASPA Higher Education Student Affairs Administrator Thursday at Eastern Arizona University’s Thatcher Campus. made these statements.
“Overcoming barriers to electoral participation is not something that happens suddenly. It takes a lot of effort,” Fontes said. “It takes a lot of effort and partnership.”
Eastern Arizona College is one of 238 colleges nationwide designated voter-friendly campuses.
EAC President Todd Haney said he was proud of the designation and that the university stands ready to do all it can to help all voters vote.
“College students face additional barriers when it comes to voting. Lack of information, lack of adequate transportation to polling stations, and even complex requirements have traditionally prevented college students from voting,” Haney said. . “At EAC, we are committed to ensuring that our students participate in the democratic process.”
Haney lauded the bipartisan student club at Eastern Arizona University, which received a $3,000 grant from MTV to help support, educate, and enroll students. This earned him an additional $2,500 grant to continue the effort and work with the Graham County Registrar’s Office to provide a voting booth for the “Your Vote, Your Voice” event, helping hundreds of his EAC students were able to vote early in his 2022 election.
At the ceremony, Haney and Fontes recognized the three people most responsible for high voter turnout on campus: student Isaiah Hintzman, sociology professor Travis Catt, and Graham County Clerk Polly Merriman. They were awarded the EAC Mark of Excellence Award to each of them.
