Kaila White

The Republic | azcentral.com

Come November, Arizona State University might have an on-campus polling location that many say would be its first ever.

Various student and advocacy groups have come together in a bipartisan effort to improve student access to polls. The effort has been fueled by the difficulty voters faced in the March presidential-preference election and by frustration over the lack of a planned polling location on or adjacent to campus in November.

The current assigned polling place for all students living on campus is almost a mile away from the closest residence hall on the Tempe campus and a 1 1/2-mile walk from the farthest ones.

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Student leaders are proposing two options: Wells Fargo Arena, which is well-known, accessible to people with disabilities and has plentiful parking; or the Sun Devil Fitness Complex.

Employees from Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell's office toured the campus locations Monday, after which Purcell said one would become an official polling place soon.

"We will have a polling place on ASU campus for the 2016 General Election. I'm not sure where it will be but I want to ensure the students there will be one," Purcell wrote on Facebook Tuesday.

Fighting for access for thousands of students

Almost one-quarter of the roughly 50,000 students that attend ASU in Tempe live on campus, according to U.S. News & World Report. Many more live nearby, within the two voting districts that encompass the campus.

Elizabeth Bartholomew, who is with the recorder’s office, told radio station KJZZ earlier this month that students are "either on our permanent early voting list or they’re registered maybe still back at their parent’s house ... So they wouldn’t even qualify to vote at that polling place on election day."

Student organizations register thousands of new voters with on-campus addresses every move-in week, and many first-time voters still want the experience of dropping off a ballot in person, said Austin Marshall, an ASU senior and president of ASU Young Democrats.

Success from a new partnership

Groups such as ASU Young Democrats and College Republicans have tried for years to get a polling place on campus, Marshall said.

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So has the Arizona Advocacy Network, which pushes for reforms in election and campaign law. AAN created a new commission for Arizona election accountability after the March controversy, which reached out to student groups to voice concerns at its now-regular meetings with Purcell.

Together, they've gotten closer to securing an on-campus polling place than ever before.

"We need to make it easier for students to vote," AAN executive director Samantha Pstross said. "ASU is bigger than some countries; they should have their own polling location on campus."

Attention from Tempe City Council member

The effort has gained the attention and support of Tempe City CouncilwomanLauren Kuby, who wrote a public Facebook post supporting the effort and criticizing Purcell's original choice to have only one polling place for ASU students.

Currently, the planned polling location is the Knights of Pythias Lodge, which is west of Apache Boulevard and McClintock Drive.

"I myself have witnessed Election-Day chaos at this student polling place in the past two Presidential elections, as time and time again the planning process underestimated the turn-out of younger voters," Kuby wrote.

Purcell: The lodge was our only choice

Purcell defended that decision on Facebook, writing that it was the only available option. Her office contacted three closer locations and none worked.

ASU Gammage was too busy; the Islamic Community Center of Tempe, which was a polling place in 2014, never responded; and the First Congregational Church next door, which was a polling place in 2012, did not have adequate parking, according to Purcell.

While the latter locations are in between ASU properties, they are not technically on campus.

ASU has been home to an early-voting location for every election since 2010, where any registered voter has been able to vote since Aug. 8.

"We felt this may be more convenient for students and faculty," Purcell wrote on Facebook. "I have never, nor will I ever make a decision that would make it harder for students to vote."

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ASU has and likely will pay for its polling places

ASU pays about $2,500 total to operate the early voting location, according to the State Press.

The money comes from the Undergraduate Student Government, which collects a $25 fee from every student each semester to allocate to various organizations. This year USG allocated $25,000 to voter outreach and civic engagement, according to the State Press.

USG will likely pay to staff and run a November polling place, Marshall and Pstross said.

"My organization wants to get money out of politics and I think polling places are something our state should pay for, but frankly, our county is underfunded," Pstross said.

Purcell's office still must officially approve a location before the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors can finalize it.

Pstross said she expects a decision by the end of the week.

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