The lingering smell of coffee grounds coming from a Dutch Bros vending vehicle welcomed students to the Free Speech Area on Monday for a free cup of coffee; all they had to do was pick up a Voter’s Guide to Get Out the Vote.
Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) organized Get Out the Vote, an educational drive designed to provide students with unbiased information regarding the California propositions listed on the 2016 voter ballot.
As an incentive for picking up a Voter Guide, a paper with brief descriptions of the propositions and the arguments for/against, students would receive a free cup of coffee courtesy of Dutch Bros. Coffee.
Brandon Sepulveda, ASI Vice President of Finance & CEO, assisted in the organization of the event and commented on the overall goal of the drive: “This is obviously a big election for students.”
“There are 17 propositions. It’s a contested presidential election,” Sepulveda said. “We just want to make sure that students are exercising their right to vote and are informed about the issues when they get out the vote.”
The event proved to be popular among students as they formed a long line along the Free Speech Area towards the Henry Madden Library. The 200 free cups of coffee purchased by ASI were out within the first hour. The organization purchased additional cups to fill the demand of the second hour.
Alongside ASI, the League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan group on campus which aims to inform students on policy, hosted a table with pamphlets and stickers encouraging students to vote on Nov. 8.
Andrew Dadasovich, League of Women Voters Vice President, described the importance of student votes in the political process.
“There are too many things at risk in this election,” he said. “We have to think about not only the national election, but the local elections that are happening.”
“We have mayors that are being elected, we have congressmen, congresswomen, and senators. We have propositions on the ballot that anybody would love to vote for: death penalty, plastic bag bans, marijuana. College students should be excited this election.” said Dadasovich.