PIRG urges voter participation

New Mexico Public Interest Research Group held a kick-off meeting to discuss its upcoming campaigns.

ASUNM senator Melissa Trent said she became involved in PIRG, a grassroots, nonprofit, nonpartisan outreach advocacy group for environmental, consumer and democracy issues, to ensure the student issues are heard.

“It’s time to reform, and young people need to be heard in the debate,” Trent said.

NMPIRG President Breanna Hastings heads the New Voters Project, a campaign designed to increase voter participation. She said the organization plans to register about 2,000 voters during its upcoming campaign. The campaign also has a goal of getting 6,000 “get out the vote contacts,” to remind students about the Nov. 2 election. Hastings said because of NMPIRG’s voter campaign, young voter
participation has increased in recent years.

“NMPIRG prioritizes voter education and mobilization for local, state and national elections because democracy is only as strong as the amount of citizens who participate,” Hastings said. “Regardless of your political principles, the goal of the New Voters Project at UNM is to make politicians pay attention to the student voice. We can do that by making sure students continue to vote in record numbers.”

NMPIRG is also planning a campaign to tackle the rising cost of textbooks, which, if successful, could have an immediate impact for the more than 27,000 UNM students. According to PIRG, textbooks for a full-time student cost more than $400 per semester. PIRG said textbooks should be reasonably priced, and used books should be easy to buy and sell.

UNM student Kirsten Crocker said the textbook industry is unjust.
“We have independent working students spending all of their money on tuition and books and consequently can’t afford to eat properly,” she said. “Students should be able to purchase books online at a discount, or more instructors should offer free online course materials.”

Besides textbook prices, NMPIRG is concerned about sustainability.

Volunteer Michael Wingard said sustainable energy systems have been around for nearly 30 years, but the lack of a commitment to sustainability prompted him to join NMPIRG’s efforts.

“I am not the kind of person that can watch the world go to hell in a handbasket without doing something about it,” he said.
Organizer Elizabeth Benton said NMPIRG offers volunteer and internship opportunities, and interns will earn class credit.

“Working at UNM has been an inspiring and humbling,” she said. “I have been delightedly surprised and impressed with the students and student involvement here at UNM.”