By Ashley Gessel
From running on the sidelines of his soccer games to the sidelines of his campaign, Brandon Roman”s mother, Joyce Roman, traveled 2,142 miles from Virginia to help support her son”s campaign.
“He didn”t even ask me to come, we both assumed I would come,” Joyce Roman said. “So I stand here convincing people to vote from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. without going to the bathroom, all because I love him.”
Joyce Roman stands there for hours holding a sign by the BYU bookstore in her blue attire, just like when she used to watch her son play soccer; Joyce is his number one fan.
Joyce Roman is only one of the many volunteers for the BYUSA election who give their time and talents to help BYUSA candidates. There are many aspects to a BYUSA campaign that need people behind the scenes.
Most who came to help were either close friends or family who were eager to contribute in any way possible, and some techniques were not exactly conventional.
“Who doesn”t want to fly a kite in Brigham Square?” said Erin Houghtaling, Ruri and Basinger”s campaign finance manager. “I”m a math major, so being in charge of finances was something I could do to show my support and love for them.”
Another mom, Steele and Amanda Kizerian”s, traveled from California to have the ”go-for” position.
“I do food runs, balloon runs, poster runs and anything else they might need,” Julie Kizerian said. “They need to be on campus talking to students, so I”m happy to help in any way.”
Some students who are helping with the campaigns on campus are not as die-hard volunteers, but give what time they can to help their friends. One specific volunteer is Jonathan Pratt, working on Hoybjerg and Stevens campaign. Dressed up in a carrot colored sweater and shade of pea green pants, Pratt chased students for three hours armed with flyers to get people to vote, shouting ridiculous fake initiatives about the candidates.
“I don”t know much about the campaign, but it”s been a lot of fun,” Pratt said. “This is also the first time I”ve ever voted.”
