The Journalist

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IRONING BOARD GUY MAY HAVE POLITICAL BIAS

Any Chico State student who has walked under the arches of Meriam Library has probably noticed a grey haired, bearded man standing behind an ironing board.

“Register to vote! Take two minutes!” he hollers out to students walking by.

This man who has been given the familiar label of ‘Ironing Board Guy’ by students is known to the world outside Chico State as Michael Hawkins.

The sign hanging from his ironing board reads “Democrats Register to Vote Here.” But how literal is this specification? According to complaints received by Chico State’s Student Activities department, Hawkins is refusing to file the registration forms of students who wish to register with the Republican Party.

When asked about this, Hawkins was not shy about his actions.

“You have a right to a voter registration form, that’s the law, but you don’t have a right to my services,” Hawkins said. “I’m not obliged to do anything.”

But according to the Secretary of State’s office, a person running a registration table must file the registration forms of all applicants.

“They are supposed to take everyone’s forms,” said Edlynn Cerdenas, Office Support System Manager for the Secretary of State’s election branch.

Meredith Turney, legislative liaison and legal council for Capitol Resource Institute, a non-profit lobbyist firm in Sacramento, also confirmed that Hawkins actions were illegal.

“Someone registering voters may not refuse to register members of one party,” said Turney, in an email. “That is against the law.”

When asked about the legality of Hawkin’s actions Rick Rees, Assistant Director of Student Activities said that Chico State’s lawyers have assured them that Hawkins is doing nothing wrong.

“We have been advised by our lawyers that what Michael is doing is legal,” Rees said.

He added that it seems better that Hawkins is being honest about his actions rather than taking everyone’s forms and not filing certain ones.

Although the legality of Hawkins voting registration methods are up for debate, some students find his presence on campus a nuisance and his attitude negative.

Anna Van Vleet, a senior at Chico State, feels that Hawkin’s attitude is one of discrimination.

“That sign, ‘Democrats Register to Vote Here’ is offensive to a lot of people who do not affiliate themselves with the Democratic Party,” Van Vleet said. “It’s obviously about him pushing a political agenda.”

Hawkins says that a portion of his actions stem from the desire to protect himself from untrue accusations of people registering.

“I don’t want to be accused because I don’t like your party and it’s views,” Hawkins said.

When asked about the message this sends to people about the Democratic Party in Butte County, Hawkins said there was no link.

“This doesn’t say anything about the Democratic Party, this is just about me,” Hawkins said.

Despite the controversy surrounding him, Michael Hawkins remains a faithful face on campus.

“He is very dedicated,” Rees said. “I’ve seen a lot of people come and go but he has been here for years.”

Whether Hawkins will be asked to alter his voter registration methods or not remains to be seen, but there is no doubt that “Ironing Board Guy” will be found lingering around Meriam Library for some time to come.

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