Candidate fair held to encourage student civic engagement

With a highly divisive election on the horizon, a candidate fair was held in the Centennial Student Union Wednesday to allow students to meet candidates running for public office in 2024.

The event was organized by the Minnesota State Student Government for the purpose of educating students and encouraging civic engagement.

“We don’t want to tell students how to vote one way or another but we want to equip them with the right resources so they’re able to make informed decisions,” said student government president Roshit Niraula.

Candidates from across the political spectrum came to the event to talk with students and members of the community about their positions and to help encourage students to get involved in the political process. Tables lined both sides of the hallway in Mav Ave where students could meet candidates or representatives from their campaign, talk about specific political issues and pick up literature and other political advertisements. 

Joyce Lacey, who is running for state senate against Amy Klobucher, as a candidate for the Independence-Alliance party said she was running on the issue of regulating for profit guardianships due to her mother being forced into such a guardianship, which Lacey felt stripped her mother of her rights.

According to Lacey, “there’s right now, like 1.5 million adults in guardianships in the United States, and over half of those are abusive, for profit, fraudulent guardianships and so we’re trying to change that. We’re trying to get rights for the people, because nobody should have all their rights taken away from them.”

Dar Vosburg, who is also running for a seat in the US senate, had a table full of Donald Trump yard signs.

”I was a little fired up after COVID and the George Floyd riots. But right now I just want to bring some balance and accountability up to the capitol,” said Vosburg on her motives for running for office.

Jeff Brand, who is running for the Minnesota House of Representatives, got his start in politics as a senator in the MSU student government. Brand said he wanted to encourage students to vote in order to encourage lifelong civic engagement.

”As we get young people involved in the voting process, they’re more likely to vote way down the road. I think that as part of our democracy it’s really important that people are empowered to vote,” said Brand.

Erin Roberts, who is running for re-election to the Mankato Area Public School Board in order to help oversee programs that started under her previous term, encouraged people to vote for what they felt is important.

“They [college students] need to vote for what is important to them in their life at that moment,” said Roberts.

Brett Skilberd who is running for Mankato City Council, encouraged students to vote as he felt it was a good way to solve problems.

”My response to my kids and anybody that ever complains about something is, don’t just complain about it, do something, right? So I think the ultimate way to do something is to register and vote,” said Skilberd.

Caption: Students comunicating with invited candidates at the Centennial Student Union, Minnesota State on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024(LOGAN SCHLOSSER/The Reporter).

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