One student group on campus is helping students socialize and learn about Salt Lake mayoral and city council candidates.
The Hinckley Institute Student Alliance began its third year on campus by working with the Associated Students of the University of Utah to help familiarize students with candidates and prepare them to vote in upcoming local elections.
Impact Day will be an open campus forum for local candidates to meet with students on the Union Patio on Sept. 5.
“It’s vital we bring candidates up to campus to provide students a way to find out what these candidates represent,” said Marco Mijic, director of ASUU Government Relations. “We hope this will help motivate students to vote.”
Mijic is working with HISA to ensure that all candidates for mayor and city council attend the event, which will include five-minute speeches given by candidates.
The rest of the event will give students and candidates a chance to mingle in a more relaxed atmosphere. Candidates will be sitting at tables where students can ask them questions and have discussions. There will also be food and live bands.
Candidates running for mayor have been welcomed to campus forums in the past. However, this year’s event will be on a larger scale because city council candidates will be speaking, as well.
“Sometimes, as students, we don’t realize that political candidates do value our opinions,” said Zachery Fountain, president of HISA and a senior in political science.
HISA works with a number of political student groups on campus, including the College Democrats and Republicans, the Public Interest Advocacy, Service Politics and Civic Engagement and the ASUU Government Relations Board.
Activities planned for this year include the Vote Project, which aims to increase voter registration, and a straw poll to get students thinking about who they want as America’s next president. The united goal of the groups is to increase student interest and participation in politics.
“Impact day is a way for students to form an opinion and make an impact,” Mijic said.