Some people take party buses for a night out, while some UF students ride one in style to vote in the 2024 United States presidential election.
The Hispanic-Latine Student Association at UF teamed up with multiple UF organizations like the Pride Student Union, the Black Student Union and the Asian American Student Union to provide early voting opportunities to young voters.
During the organization's Party to the Polls event on Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., a party bus transported UF students from La Casita, UF’s Institute of Hispanic-Latino Cultures, to the Reitz Union, an early voting location for Alachua County. Students were required to bring a valid ID and be registered to vote in Alachua County.
La Casita served as a bus stop for the polling event. Students were invited to stop by, enjoy free pizza and drinks, play board games and listen to music before boarding the bus. The bus picked up a new set of students to transport to the voting location every 20 to 30 minutes.
Imani Sanchez, a 21-year-old UF political science senior and the HSA Office of Political Affairs executive director, was the event’s main organizer. Sanchez said Party to the Polls is meant to mobilize people and get them excited about voting.
“I think sometimes college students get in their head about voting. They’re like, ‘Oh, it’s too hard, or I’m not registered to vote here, or I don’t have this or I don’t have that,’” she said.
She believes the initiative made it easier for students to vote and allowed them to have fun.
Party to the Polls is HSA’s biggest voting event this semester, but the organization plans to spread information about voting through social media and tabling, Sanchez said. She believes peer-on-peer education makes the information more accessible and encourages students to vote.
“I'm no one special,” she said. “I'm just a 21-year-old student. So if I can understand it, you can understand it, too.”
Ricardo Quiñones Lugo, a UF mathematics education graduate student, took the bus to vote on Tuesday. He said he was intrigued by the unique concept of getting on a party bus to go to the polls, even though it was about a four-minute drive.
“It’s a way of captivating students or just calling and encouraging them to go vote,” he said.
During his ride to the polls, he said about eight other students were on the bus.
Quiñones Lugo is from Puerto Rico and said it is his first time voting in a U.S. presidential election. Since he feels he was not as informed about the process of voting in the U.S., Party to the Polls was the perfect introduction because it allowed him to learn how to vote ahead of time.
“I think it’s a good way to express yourself and let your voice be heard,” he said.
Nicole Pantoja, the HSA Office of Political Affairs community engagement director, stood outside La Casita during the event to inform passersby about the party bus. At 1:12 p.m., Pantoja estimated that at least 50 to 60 people had entered the party bus since she arrived at 11:30 a.m.
Events like these make voting less intimidating and give people a sense of community, making them feel less alone, she said.
To ensure students were informed before voting, members from HSA were stationed inside La Casita to answer questions about the voting process and amendments on the ballot.
“I think going to an event like this encourages people to ask questions and create that safe environment,” Pantoja said.
HSA had intent in choosing La Casita as the pickup area for Party to the Polls. With diversity, equity and inclusion under threat at UF, it was important for the club to utilize this space and collaborate with diverse organizations, Pantoja said.
The Reitz Union saw a turnout of 532 early voters that day, according to Vote Alachua.
While other students walked to the Reitz Union to vote early, students on the party bus got to party their way to the polls.
“If we show together that we’re strong and are supportive, civically engaged students and encouraging our student body to do that, I think it's just very helpful for the community,” Pantoja said.
Contact Caroline Kwara at carolinekwara@ufl.edu. Follow her on X @KwaraCaroline.
