California Secretary of State Alex Padilla Presents Cal Poly with Voter Registration Award

California Secretary of State Alex Padilla visited campus and attended the ASI Board of Directors meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 20 to present Cal Poly with an award for winning the Ballot Bowl competition! It’s all thanks to ASI President Jasmin Fashami and ASI Student Government’s efforts throughout the Flex Your Right voter-registration campaign, as well as the collective effort of all Cal Poly students who registered to vote before the Oct. 22, 2018 deadline.

Civic engagement has been a focal point of Fashami’s platform. “ASI and the Cal Poly student body are honored to host Secretary of State Padilla on campus for the inaugural Ballot Bowl award presentation,” Fashami said. “Civic engagement is an incredibly high priority for ASI Student Government. Being able to exemplify the importance of voter registration in San Luis Obispo through this competition proves to students how powerful their voices truly can be.”

“Campus pride was on display across California in 2018, as students registered over 10,000 of their peers through our inaugural Ballot Bowl,” California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said. “Nowhere was that pride more evident than Cal Poly — where over 3,000 Mustangs were registered to vote. Democracy is built upon civic engagement, and I’m so proud to see students and administrators come together to register voters throughout California for the Ballot Bowl.”

Fashami was also recognized at the state Assembly and Senate in Sacramento on Feb. 11 for her role in the Ballot Bowl competition. “Beyond registration, we must educate our campus and engage with local officials regarding student-focused issues in order to empower our voices and initiate meaningful change,” Fashami said.

About the Ballot Bowl

As part of a statewide competition led by the secretary of state, Cal Poly competed with other universities in the Ballot Bowl to register the most students before the 2018 midterm elections.

Be the Voice

Are you passionate about civic engagement and making a difference on campus and in the community? The candidate filing period for the 2019–20 ASI president and Board of Directors is open through Friday, Feb. 22 at 4 p.m. More information on filing can be found on the ASI elections website.

For additional Student Government updates, follow the ASI Student Government Facebook and Cal Poly ASI Instagram.