California Secretary of State Bruce McPherson spoke to a group of students from several California college campuses at a training session on registering young voters held by the California State Student Association in the University Union Ballroom on Friday morning.

“It just ticks me off that they don’t take the time (to vote),” McPherson said about voters ages 18 to 24.

He said that only half of that group in California are registered, and only half of the registered ones vote.

McPherson said he was not speaking to promote an agenda or take a side on any of the propositions in the upcoming elections to be held on November 8, but just wanted to get students to vote.

“They’ll listen to you, their peers, more than they will to me,” McPherson said.

The CSSA has three goals with this program, said Laura Kerr, director of government relations for the CSSA. The first goal is to register people to vote. The second is nonpartisan voter education so that voters will be informed at the polls. The third goal is to “get the vote out” on election day.

Kerr said students from at least six Northern California campuses were present at the event. She was glad that McPherson came to speak and said, “he really was a great friend to students when he was on the Senate Education Committee and continues this relationship now that he is Secretary of State.”

“I just want to encourage those who help get people registered,” McPherson said.

This was the first time Sacramento State has hosted an event like this, said Olgalilia Ramirez, ASI co-director of governmental affairs. “Hopefully, we’ll continue this as an annual thing.”