Joseph Edgecomb / The Collegian

Two female students were making their way to class, when they both suddenly paused.

They were reading a banner taped to a table set up in the Free Speech area on campus, when suddenly one of them exclaimed, “Oh my god!â€Â and ran over to the table. “I totally forgot to do that!â€Â

The bright yellow banner that forced these girls to a halt read, “This is the Last Day to Register to Vote for the Feb. 5 primary election.â€Â

Esmeralda Santos, legislative director for Associated Students, Inc. (ASI), handed the young student a registration form and assured her that all forms would be taken down and handed directly to the registration board for immediate processing.

Yesterday may have been the last day to register to vote for the California primary election, but Santos said that students could still participate in the presidential election in November.

“The second Tuesday in November is the deadline to register for the presidential election,â€Â Santos said. “The main reason why we set up this table was to establish some voter awareness, answer any questions and hopefully get students to register or at least be thinking about registering before November.â€Â

At the registration table, Santos and a few other student volunteers were also handing out the Easy Voter Guide, a pamphlet created to help educate voters on issues and the candidates̢۪ platforms.

Sarait Martinez, a student volunteer at the table, said despite their efforts they still probably will not get the turnout from students they are hoping for.

“The fact is most students just don’t vote,â€Â Martinez said.

Already registered, Erika Encinas, an engineering major, approached the table to get one of the Easy Voter Guides. She believes there are several factors preventing students from voting.

“Students don’t have time to vote, with work and school, and many of them don’t understand the issues. They care more about the latest fashion, technology and trends,â€Â Encinas said. “They don’t realize how important voting is.â€Â

Encinas said she is voting so later on she can say she participated in a historical election featuring the first African-American man, and first woman to run for president. She believes if more was done to draw attention to the election, more students would vote.

“They need to promote it, make it a big deal, and if we could actually vote on campus that would help too, because it would be more convenient,â€Â Encinas said.

Santos said they are working on activities and possibly a forum to promote voter awareness for the presidential election this coming fall, and a bill that would allow polls to be set up on campuses statewide for students to vote at.

“We are working with the California State Student Association to promote a change, we want to stimulate interest in voting and at the same time make it more accessible and convenient for students,â€Â Santos said.

Vanessa Madero, a senior business administration major, who was registrating to vote, said students just need to change their mindset and realize they do have a voice.

“They [students] think that it doesn’t matter if they vote, because it won’t make a difference,â€Â Madero said. “But the truth is they do matter and every election is important.â€Â

For more information on the upcoming elections and other voter issues, check out The Collegian starting Feb. 1.