St. Cloud State University is hosting an Election Night Extravaganza tonight in the Atwood Center. It is a non-partisan event aimed at engaging younger voters.

The Political Science Department and Student Government members Donna Balmer and Nick Osborne organized the event. Professor Jim Cottrill says he is very excited for the event and hopes it will raise the importance of young people voting, even in a year where they may be disenfranchised to do so.

Cottrill says that if candidates can safely assume that young voters do not participate, then they have no incentive to address issues that matter to young people. He says there is a reason that politicians pay more attention to issues that matter to older voters, like Social Security and Medicare, than they do to issues like the rising cost of higher education — it’s because older people vote at a much higher percentage than young people.

Pi Sigma Alpha donated $700 for the free food for attendees, there will be door prizes and Viking Coca-Cola is donating beverages.

The event takes place in the Alumni Room of the Atwood Memorial Center from 8 p.m. to midnight.