Kaila White

The Republic | azcentral.com

Arizona State University students living on and near the Tempe campus will be voting at an on-campus location for the first time ever come this November.

Last week, state officials approved the Sun Devil Fitness Complex as the polling place for the Tempe and Hudson precincts for Election Day, replacing the Knights of Pythias Lodge. This week, ASU confirmed it is anticipating approval of the site.

Moving the location to the sprawling complex, which is located on the southern end of campus and known as SDFC, will allow students to cast their votes in an ASU building for the first time.

Knights of Pythias Lodge is almost a mile away from the closest residence hall on the Tempe campus and a 1½-mile walk from the farthest ones. SDFC is within a half-mile of all Tempe residence halls.

Students crossed party lines to work together

Various student and advocacy groups led a bipartisan effort to improve student access to polls.

"Getting students civically engaged at this point in their lives is extremely important because it allows them to become involved in their community and the process of government early on," said ASU Tempe Undergraduate Student Government President Brandon Bishop on Wednesday.

ASU Young Democrats and College Republicans have tried for years to get a polling place on campus.

"Thousands of ASU students will want their voices to be heard in November, and having this polling place open on Election Day makes that easier for all of them," said club president and ASU senior Austin Marshall.

Momentum from the March election

Arizona Advocacy Network, which pushes for reforms in election and campaign law, has also long pushed for an on-campus spot.

AAN created a new commission for Arizona election accountability after the March polling-place controversy, which reached out to student groups to voice concerns at its now-regular meetings with Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell. Through working together they found success.

"I am very pleased with this decision," AAN Executive Director Samantha Pstross said. "Voting is the soul of our democracy and now more students will be able to vote."

Chosen over Wells Fargo Arena

Employees from Purcell's office toured SDFC and Wells Fargo Arena last week.

The Maricopa County Elections Department told ASU officials and others behind the effort that they chose SDFC, and that they would need to provide vouchers for people who park in the parking garage next to the complex.

Jim Rund, an ASU senior vice president, oversaw and approved of the effort.

"We are proud of our ASU students who worked diligently through the process to secure a polling place at ASU’s Tempe location for the general election on November 8. Our students are civic-minded and committed to being fully engaged in the electoral process," he said Wednesday.