Secretary of State Bowen visits CSU Stanislaus, presents students with award

California Secretary of State Debra Bowen visited California State University Stanislaus on Friday, August 15, to present the National Secretaries of State Medallion Award to the California State Student Association (CSSA).  During her meeting with students, Bowen also discussed the importance of getting students registered to vote in elections.

The National Secretaries of State Medallion Award was presented to CSSA, which was conducting a voter registration training clinic on the CSU Stanislaus campus for students from all over the state, in recognition of its outstanding efforts in non-partisan voter education and outreach.

Andrew Janz, Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) President at CSU Stanislaus, was present to receive the award, noting that it was one of only five granted by California’s Secretary of State. On behalf of the CSSA, Janz stated, “We are honored to receive this award. This is a great start to our voter registration campaign here at CSU Stanislaus.” 

Bowen, California’s chief elections officer, enlightened student and CSSA participants on how crucial it is for students to voice their opinions through voting. Any student may participate in helping Secretary Bowen meet her long-term goal of 100 percent participation by voters, she noted.

“The California State Student Association has developed some very innovative strategies for registering new voters and encouraging them to cast ballots on Election Day,” Bowen said. “CSSA and other students have done phenomenal work to help register 31,000 CSU students to vote in the last two general elections."

ASI strives to get students involved at their university while providing them with numerous opportunities to be involved in the political process. Through events, services, and student -devoted programs such as voter registration, ASI continues to strengthen the relationship between students and the community.