Go vote. And take a picture.

Vote. Doesn’t matter what party or on what issue. Just get registered and get to the polls on Nov. 4 and vote! Student Involvement and Leadership has joined up with the Washington Secretary of State’s “I Will Vote” campaign to encourage Lutes to vote, and send in some cool pictures while they are at it.“I Will Vote” is a social media campaign that will encourage PLU voters to make a visual pledge to vote in the general election on Nov. 4. To wit, Lace Smith, program coordinator of SIL, is asking community members at PLU – students, faculty and staff – to take pictures of themselves holding up signs that say “I Will Vote” and submit them to student life.“We decided to capitalize and continue the energy from registration and continue it through the month (of October),” Smith said. “We see this as a visual pledge to declare civil engagement, not only in the presidential race, but in the governor’s race as well.”

This is not a photo contest…but, there will be awards from departments and organizations across campus for the best photos, Smith said.

Categories include best pictures from sports teams, staff, faculty, with a PLU landmark, all the halls, in the UC, from a club or organization, from alumni, from a group, best jumping picture, best picture from an academic building or at the PLU pool, best individual shot, best Photoshopped, and best overall.

Students or staff can take a picture on anything from your cell phone to your Web Cam to your high-end digital SLR and send it to SIL. This is not a partisan effort or a group supporting any one issue. This is a crucial election year and it’s time again for the PLU community to make it clear that they have a say in the process.

Email your “I Will Vote” photo along with your name and ZIP code where you are registered to vote to clubs@plu.edu. You can do this from your cell phone too.

Yes, there are a few guidelines:

Only submit a picture if you’re actually able to vote. That means, if you’re over 18. If you’re not yet registered, do it now! You can’t just sign up on Nov. 3 and vote the next day. Now that the Oct. 4 deadline to register to vote online or by mail has passed, you have until Oct. 20 to register to vote in person (read: you have to literally walk into an office) at your county auditor’s office.

Refrain from dressing up your animals at home or the PLU squirrels and sticking an “I Will Vote” sign in front of them. Squirrels are cute, but squirrels can’t vote. And they are busy dumpster diving for the winter.

Don’t send us anything your great grandmother wouldn’t want to see, like pictures of naked people, obscene gestures, illegal activity or other things in poor taste. No photos that violate the Student Code of Conduct. Please? OK? Thanks!

When you submit a photo to SIL, it becomes part of the Student Involvement and Leadership “I Will Vote” social media campaign. Also, your photo can be submitted to the Office of Secretary of State’s “I Will Vote” photo campaign. Student Involvement and Leadership has the right to use or edit any submitted content, or deny any submission. Look for the best of the best in the Nov. 3 gallery of Campus Voice.

And whether you take a picture, or not, get out and vote. This presidential election is expected to be close, and the 18 to 24-year-old block is expected to make a significant difference in the finally tally. So go vote!