UW-River Falls organization creates campaign to encourage students to vote

Election day is occurring in less than one week on Nov. 3. Eligible voters are gathering information on how they can cast their vote safely and securely this upcoming election. The UW-River Falls Office of Student Involvement developed a platform to easily layout information they believe is valuable for students during this election season. 

The program is called We are Falcons and We Vote, with the face of the organization being “The Vote” himself. Owen Friesen, a We are Falcons and We Vote Ambassador, explained where the idea for this campaign started, “ The We are Falcons campaign started four years ago, Elise Peters from the office of Student Involvement walked around with a clipboard and would register people to vote! It focuses on making voting accessible for students” he said.

The idea is that students are provided with enough information through videos and promotional marketing material that they are easily able to register to vote, even when doing so in a different state.  “Students may wonder ‘oh how do I vote in my city or how do I vote in River Falls?’.” said Friesen, “ It’s as easy as Direct Messaging us at @uwrfgetinvolved, which is the student involvement social media handle. Getting that information from us is important.”

The campaign emphasizes the importance of voting. Friesen explained that he votes because as a student he wants his voice heard in local and national elections, and he thinks that voting is the best way to do that. “ As students, we are the future of this country. We are the young people that are growing up and creating the building blocks of our own future,” said Friesen. 

This initiative attempts to make students who are living on campus during the election season aware that they can register using their on-campus address. This allows them to vote at various locations in River Falls rather than needing to go back to their home state. Friesen made sure to express that wearing a mask, social distancing, and taking proper precautions is still important when casting your vote. 

Friesen also talked about why students vote matters whether they think so or not. He said, “ I feel it is important to keep in mind how many people are affected by these decisions that we make when voting. We can create a huge domino effect if we choose to not vote. Then there is a huge part of our country that doesn’t get their voice heard.” 

Election day is Tuesday, Nov 3rd. For more information on registration and casting your ballot please visit https://www.uwrf.edu/Vote/.