State Rep. Larry Haler, R-Richland, left, and attorney Fran Forgette, a regent for Washington State University, wait their turn to speak to a group of WSU Tri-Cities students Thursday during a forum on student voting. The forum, led by Shirah Thietje, the student government’s director of legislative affairs, addressed the lack of student involvement in the voting process. Washington college students now rack up more debt than ever before to pay tuition, while the state gives less and less money to higher education. And yet, the age group that includes most college students has the lowest voter turnout of all sectors of the population. If students are unhappy about state higher education budgets, they need to vote -- that was the message delivered Thursday by three speakers at Washington State University Tri-Cities.
