Ms. Dianna Pugh has been teaching American Government and Judge since 2014. She recently talked about the importance of voting.

“I always exercise my right to vote,” she said. “I love to vote. I did get mail-in ballots this year, but a lot of times I like to go and watch people. Stand in the line and listen to people. That’s a fun part of exercising my vote.

“I think it’s important for future generations. I mean, really, it’s our voice. It’s a way that we can take responsibility for our government. It’s an equalizer, one plus one plus one. Every vote counts. You have as much power as young people as I did.”

She cautioned against people who are trying to make it more difficult for citizens to vote.

“We see all kinds of ways over our history where people have made it difficult for people to vote, trying to marginalize certain groups. So I think it’s really important that we bring those to life and that we work to make our voting fair and free, that every single person has that ability to vote.”

Women are one group that has been marginalized regarding voting. For example, at one time women in Utah had the highest voter participation rate in the nation, but by 2006 our state had the lowest voter participation in the country. Currently Utah is ranked 33rd. She Votes Utah is a new initiative from KUER Radio and PBS Utah, Utah’s public media stations, to encourage women in Utah, especially new voters, to participate in elections by providing them with accurate information.

“I think it would be a big deal getting more women out to vote and getting more diverse people out to vote,” Pugh said. I think talking about more women’s issues too, and getting women candidates to address those issues would be an important part to get women out to vote.”

Pugh has advice for all Judge students, even those who aren’t eligible to vote this year.

“Even if you can’t vote, you can get other people out to vote,” she said.