Voter registration a top concern for OU College Democrats
By Hannah Drown, Staff Writer
September 29, 2008 | 6 a.m.
Ohio University’s College Democrats are working harder than ever to get Sen. Barack Obama elected as the next president of the United States. With the days until Nov. 4 dwindling before members' eyes, their main focus is getting students registered to vote.
To help get Obama elected the group is trying many different ways to get the student body to turn out to vote. “Starting next week we’re going to be doing early vote efforts just letting people know that from Sept. 30 to Oct. 6 they can register to vote at the board of elections and vote on the same day,” College Democrats President Matt Crawford said.
To make the opportunity to vote as accessible as possible, College Democrats has been canvassing and sitting outside of the fourth floor of Baker Center with information and free Obama accessories. “They’ve had tables set up almost every day in front of Baker Center,” College Democrats adviser DeLysa Burnier said. “I do think it could be a really close election, and the difference could be young people coming out and voting for either candidate.”
Ohio University College Democrats and Students for Barack Obama have joined forces to be as successful in their efforts as possible. Their largest event so far was the Gov. Ted Strickland rally earlier this month. Students for Barack Obama is a student organization that started spring quarter of the 2006-2007 school year. “That was far before Obama was even considered a formidable candidate,” Students for Barack Obama member Meredith Tucker said. The organization started as an awareness group for Obama. Since his nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate, membership and involvement have picked up for the group on campus.
Even after the elections are over, College Democrats members will still be coming together to work for their political party. “Stuff never ends for Dems," Tucker said. "Every spring we do Relay for Life. We do the big cancer fundraiser and then stuff for local candidates and the Democratic Party."
In addition to those events, College Democrats hosts an annual date auction winter quarter to help raise money for the organization. However, the group never forgets to have fun and spend time together outside of campaigning as much as possible. “We take a trip to Washington D.C. every spring. [We] try to check out all the monuments there and kind of provide something for our membership outside of just working for candidates and working with elections," Crawford said. "We really try to keep that base throughout the rest of the year, too."
Members continue to have faith that all of their efforts will pay off. “We do stuff night and day. Everyone’s tired, but that’s what really keeps us going. The fact is that we are really confident and we think that students do care,” Tucker said.
When it all comes down to it, College Democrats wants to see a high voter turn-out on Nov. 4. “You have to turn out and vote,” Burnier said. “There’s got to be follow through.”
---