The Arizona Student Vote Coalition is a coalition of left-of-center groups that seek to register to vote college students and other young people and encourage them to vote. ¹ The organization’s major sponsor is Arizona PIRG Education Fund, the Arizona affiliate of the U.S. Public Interest Group (U.S.-PIRG) Education Fund  which is a federation of left-or-center advocacy organizations that were founded by former presidential candidate Ralph Nader.

The Arizona Student Vote Coalition may have been reorganized into the Arizona Student Vote. The organization is a project of Arizona PIRG Education Fund and the Student PIRG’s New Voters Project. ²

Overview

The Arizona Student Vote Coalition is an ostensibly nonpartisan effort to encourage young people at universities to register to vote and to cast their ballots. It is made up of a coalition of left-of-center organizations and they work to encourage left-leaning young voters to register to vote and to vote. ³

The organizations that made up the Arizona Student Vote Coalition were the left-leaning Arizona PIRG Education Fund and the Arizona Students Association. In addition to those two organizations, the coalition included student government associations including the Associated Students of Arizona State University at the Polytechnic Campus (ASASUP), the Associated Students of Northern Arizona University (ASNAU), the Associated Students of the University of Arizona (ASUA), the Graduate and Professional Student Association at Arizona State University (GPSA), the Undergraduate Student Government at Arizona State University at the Tempe Campus (USG) and the Undergraduate Student Government at the West Campus (USGW). ⁴

The coalition was founded in 2004 with the goal of increasing voter registration and voter turnout among left-leaning 18-30 year olds. The bulk of the work was done by student leaders on university campuses. ⁵

History

In 2006, the coalition held one on one conversations with 9,600 students on university campuses all over Arizona. The coalition registered over 4,000 students to vote in Arizona. The coalition worked on university campuses to table on campuses, canvassing university student housing and student neighborhoods, and making phone calls on election day reminding students to vote. ⁶

In 2008, the coalition joined forces with Arizona state legislators to encourage students to vote. They canvassed dorms and reached out to universities all over Arizona encouraging students to vote. ⁷

In 2010, the coalition worked with Democratic state officials to kick off a voter registration campaign. The organization planned on using phone banking, text messages, door-to-door campaigning, and an online registration campaign. ⁸

Replacement Of Coalition

The 2010 election cycle was the final time the coalition was mentioned by Arizona PIRG Education Fund. The coalition was replaced by Arizona Student Vote, which is largely run by the PIRG New Voters Project. ⁹

Arizona Student Vote’s coalition partners include the left-leaning groups Student PIRGs, Arizona PIRG Education Fund, Rock The Vote, National Voter Registration Day, Students Learn Students Vote, Ask Every Student, and Vote Early Day. ¹⁰

1. “About Arizona Student Vote”. Arizona Student Vote. Accessed April 11, 2022. https://arizonastudentvote.org/about-us-az/.
2. “About Arizona Student Vote”. Arizona Student Vote. Accessed April 11, 2022. https://arizonastudentvote.org/about-us-az/.
3. “State, Student Leaders Launch 2010 Youth Vote Drive”. Arizona PIRG Education Fund. Aug. 4, 2010 https://arizonapirgedfund.org/news/azf/state-student-leaders-launch-2010-youth-vote-drive.
4. “State, Student Leaders Launch 2010 Youth Vote Drive”. Arizona PIRG Education Fund. Aug. 4, 2010 https://arizonapirgedfund.org/news/azf/state-student-leaders-launch-2010-youth-vote-drive.
5. “State, Student Leaders Launch 2010 Youth Vote Drive”. Arizona PIRG Education Fund. Aug. 4, 2010 https://arizonapirgedfund.org/news/azf/state-student-leaders-launch-2010-youth-vote-drive.
6. “Vote Coalition Contacts Students Across The State”.  Arizona PIRG. Nov. 7, 2006 https://arizonapirg.org/news/azp/vote-coalition-contacts-students-across-state.
7. “Arizona Student Vote Coalition Kicks Off Week Of Get-Out-The-Vote Activities”. Arizona PIRG Education Fund. Oct. 27,2008 https://arizonapirgedfund.org/news/azf/arizona-student-vote-coalition-kicks-week-get-out-vote-activities.
8. “State, Student Leaders Launch 2010 Youth Vote Drive”. Arizona PIRG Education Fund. Aug. 4, 2010 https://arizonapirgedfund.org/news/azf/state-student-leaders-launch-2010-youth-vote-drive.
9. “About Arizona Student Vote”. Arizona Student Vote. Accessed April 11, 2022. https://arizonastudentvote.org/about-us-az/.
10. “About Arizona Student Vote”. Arizona Student Vote. Accessed April 11, 2022. https://arizonastudentvote.org/about-us-az/.