Politics won't fly under the radar on Arizona's college campuses this election season, as thousands of students are reading up on the candidates and 19 propositions on this year's ballot.
Students at the state's three publicly funded universities say they are planning statewide voting rallies as the Nov. 7 election nears.
Roughly 4,500 college students statewide have registered to vote since fall classes began, nearly half of them from Arizona State University. Students hope to send a message to politicians about how valuable their votes really are.
"Getting them registered was one thing. Getting them to vote is the next step we're taking," said Imran Kirkland, director of the Arizona Students' Association at the ASU West campus.
Each of ASU's students associations, including those at the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University, have been working with the Arizona Public Interest Research Group to beef up voter registration among their peers.
Starting today, students will begin to see more booths on campuses where they can hand out and receive literature on political candidates and each proposition.
"Students have a lot going on in their lives and sometimes forget," Kirkland said. "This election is important."
Research by PIRG has indicated that college-age adults register and turn out to vote in higher numbers if they are urged to do so by their peers.
A chief concern for many students is the rising cost of higher education.
NAU and UA, now the state's most expensive public institution, also have seen dramatic tuition increases in as many years.
