A hunger strike participant sits outside the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix on Dec. 9, 2021./Photo by Jason White/The State Press
On the fourth day of the strike, 20 students gathered at the Arizona State Capitol with the hope of moving the Freedom to Vote Act forw
By Morgan Fischer | 1State Press
Students from Arizona universities spoke with Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema Thursday on the fourth day of their indefinite hunger strike called AZ Youth Hunger Strike for Democracy, with the hope of moving the Freedom to Vote Act forward.
Twenty students joined the strike that began on Dec. 6 in the Rose Garden of the Arizona State Capitol. The group is part of the nationwide Un-PAC, a non-partisan group working to reduce the role of money in politics. The group also has a campus presence through Un-PAC @ ASU.
The group of students, five to 10 of which are ASU students, hopes to get the Freedom to Vote Act passed before the end of the year. The bill would protect elections from voter suppression, gerrymandering and dark money along with other actions, such as making election day a national holiday and allowing automatic and same-day voter registration.
All eyes have been on the Arizona senator as she has supported new voting rights legislation, but has opposed changes to the filibuster. While those on strike said Sinema was in support of them, it is unclear what this means for the Freedom to Vote Act.
“Our meeting with Sinema was great,” said Leila Winbury, a junior studying political science. “She did say that she wanted to continue the dialogue (and) she did make it clear that she supports us.”
