Every student should vote at ASI elections, they impact us more than we think

Kaylie Wang is an English sophomore and assistant opinion editor for Mustang News. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Mustang Media Group.

I didn’t vote at the ASI elections last April because I didn’t know anything about the ASI president or Board of Directors. Honestly, I didn’t even start learning about what ASI leaders do until I sat down to write this article.

I’m not alone in opting out of voting in ASI elections. While voter turnout for ASI elections has increased over the past few years, only a fraction of the student body votes.

ASI directly impacts student lives, more than we think — elected leaders represent us, decide how to use our student fees and help us succeed. 

 Here’s why every student should vote in the ASI elections happening this month.

ASI’s budget comes out of your pockets 

Even if you aren’t casting a vote for a particular candidate, you will be financially supporting the ASI President and other leaders through student fees. Mandatory ASI and UU student fees in our tuition fund the ASI budget, which includes compensating ASI employees. Students spent a total of $388.85 on ASI and UU fees combined in the fall quarter of 2025, with about $2 of these fees per student going towards the scholarships, according to ASI’s website. 

The ASI president’s scholarship award pays for 100% of their education and living expenses. The only form of compensation for six of the ASI leading positions is the Student Leader scholarship, which are awards that help pay for up to all of the leader’s cost of education and living, according to past Mustang News coverage. 

Scholarships are determined by applying percentages, from 25-100%, to their estimated cost of education, so awards are based on cost of education, living expenses and academic supplies, according to ASI’s policy manual. The six leaders are the ASI president, Board of Directors chair and vice chair, University Union Advisory Board chair and vice president and the chief of staff, according to ASI’s policy manual.

I’m not pointing this out to say it’s unfair. To their credit, ASI leaders put in around 30-40 hours a week, which is equivalent to a full-time job on top of being full-time students. It feels fair that they are compensated, so they can focus on working for students. 

What isn’t fair is that over half of the student body is not even voting in the elections and deciding who will receive a full-ride scholarship. A randomized survey conducted by Mustang News last year showed 67% of students did not know about this funding, so I think more students would be encouraged to vote if they knew ASI’s budget and compensation comes straight from our pockets.

Just as we are paying tuition for a good education from our university, we are paying ASI student leaders to support our experience. We are making a financial investment in ASI by paying them to help us succeed, so all students should take an interest in ASI elections to feel confident they are using the budget in our best interest.

Advocating on our behalf 

The ASI president and Board of Directors are considered the official voice of the student body, so it’s important we feel confident in the person who will be representing the over 22,000 students at Cal Poly. 

They have seats at tables and meetings where ordinary students aren’t included. The ASI president and Board of Directors collaborate with and advocate for student interests at the local, state and federal levels, from Cal Poly’s president to local government leaders. 

Most recently, members of ASI confronted university leaders about Cal Poly’s use of Flock Safety cameras in response to student backlash. ASI President Marc Cabeliza redirected the conversation during an unrelated town hall meeting to speak about this topic, where he and members of the ASI Board of Directors were able to ask George Hughes, assistant vice president of public safety, whether there would be a future public meeting about the cameras. A member of ASI even added that students “would appreciate a seat at the table where these decisions are made.” 

I appreciated ASI’s redirection of the meeting to discuss the Flock cameras, and I realized this demonstrates the authority elected leaders have in addressing student concerns. Not every student has the time or interest to meet with Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong regularly and discuss student concerns, which is why we should trust the ASI elected leaders to effectively speak on our behalf.  

Just as if they were any politicians or leaders, we shouldn’t blindly trust our student leaders to effectively serve as our official representatives. Greater student engagement — researching issues, following campaigns and voting — shows ASI leaders we are paying attention.  

ASI also has the power to advocate for students by partnering with the university to design initiatives to improve student life. This year, they partnered with Cal Poly Health and Wellbeing to install the new medical vending machines and launch the free grocery shuttle service, which was a key component of Cabeliza’s campaign, according to past coverage by Mustang News.  

I was truly impressed by the grocery shuttle service because the lack of convenient transportation options to grocery stores without a car was incredibly frustrating. I wished I had a resource like this last year, and I wish I voted and pushed for these transportation options. 

I feel hopeful after seeing this service come to fruition about what’s possible when ASI responds to student concerns. If students never vote or voice their complaints, how can we feel like ASI meets our needs? 

ASI elections are still civic engagement

College can feel like a bubble from the real world, making ASI elections feel childish and insignificant. But these aren’t high school student body elections anymore; ASI has much more of an important role. ASI represents and serves a much bigger student population and is operating with a budget of over $15.8 million in student fee revenue and net operating expenses this year, according to ASI’s website.

Not voting in these elections is not good practice for post-college civic engagement. Staying well informed and involved locally can help us practice community engagement in what feels like a lower-stakes environment.

Your voice matters, everywhere. Not just at the national elections, but even at the most local level, whether that’s filling out course evaluations or electing ASI officers. 

Even though my time at this university is temporary, I spend more time here than I do at home, so it’s my permanent residence. I’m sure many students can relate, so we should all care more about improving this community to enjoy the rest of our time here and for the future students. 

While the state of the world can feel incredibly discouraging, even for a journalist, being active in improving our local community can feel empowering. Whether our leaders work at the University Union or the White House, voting is one way to show our elected leaders we are engaged and we care and to hold them accountable

Voting is only the first of many ways you can make your voice heard on campus. ASI officers constantly represent the ever-changing needs and interests of students, so staying involved can help them accurately represent you and use your money. 

We know elections can be overwhelming. In the meantime, you can expect more ASI election coverage from Mustang News, including a candidate endorsement from the Mustang News Opinion staff.

This story originally appeared in the April printed edition of Mustang News. Check out more stories from the issue here.

This story was updated to correct 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. regarding election day voting hours and change “vice president” to “vice chair.”