Election Day is next week and for many students, this election is the first time they are voting. To maintain safe and effective polling, rules for voting centers are in place to ensure each person gets to cast their vote.
This year, Maricopa County and local officials collaborated with the Dean of Students Office to ensure there is a voting center where students can cast their ballots on each of the four main campuses at ASU.
READ MORE: Where to vote on the four major ASU campuses
"It's just the last two elections that we've had ... polling sites or voting centers for all of our four campuses," said Alberto Olivas, the founding executive director for the Pastor Center for Politics and Public Service. "Before that, voting locations could be quite distant from the campus."
Olivas said the voting centers are not only for students but also for ASU staff and faculty and anyone who is registered to vote in Maricopa County.
Voters need to bring a government-issued ID that indicates they are registered to vote in the county they are a resident of, said Pinny Sheoran, a poll inspector in this year's election. There are multiple forms of identification voters can bring, as long as the identification includes a valid photo ID and documentation of their address.
"We encourage people to go check the resources the Secretary of State provides," Sheoran said. "It's really important that you do your research before you go and stand in line."
Giles said the point of voting centers is to get people in the location, fill out their ballot and leave.
To make this efficient and safe for voters, no one can be within 75 feet of the voting centers unless they are there with the intention to vote or to help someone with their ballot, Olivas said.
"As long as you're in line by 7 p.m., you get to vote, and the general expectation is that you'd be respectful of others, so you may engage in conversation with others, but you're expected to not be too rowdy or too loud," Olivas said.
Within the 75-foot perimeter, canvassing, carrying firearms or weapons, photographing and recording are prohibited, according to Secretary of State Adrian Fontes.
Olivas said parents are now encouraged to bring their children to voting centers to show them the process of casting their ballot. He added that voters can also bring "someone that they feel is more knowledgeable about the issues," or a translator if English isn't a person's first language.
Mark Giles, a poll inspector in this year's election, said there is a range from 8 to 12 people working at a voting center, depending on the size of the location.
There is an inspector who leads the team, a marshall to preserve order and manage the area around the poll, two judges — one from each party — to assist with the check-in process and the rest are clerks to assist anyone who may need it.
Giles said it takes between 8 and 14 minutes for a voter to complete their ballot.
"As poll workers, we're not allowed to be partisan in any way, so we won't be..." Giles said. "We can't help you in any way; we can't influence you on any of the races or give you any guidance other than the official things that are there."
Edited by George Headley, Abigail Beck and Natalia Jarrett.
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Emma is a sophomore studying journalism and mass communication and political science, with a minor in business. This is her second semester with The State Press.
