In preparation for the Nov. 2 presidential election, Wesleyan students have the opportunity to become involved in the political process in various ways. The campus organizations Wesleyan Democrats (WesDems) and Democracy on the Quad (DOTQ) are organizing activities including voter registration, fundraising activities and awareness initiatives.
WesDems have planned a “DormStorm” for Sunday, where volunteers go door to door on campus assisting people with registering to vote and answering any questions students may have about absentee ballots. As a follow up, students who are still unsure about their status will receive calls to answer questions and finalize voting arrangements. Voter registration is also occurring outside the Campus Center and at MoCon. Fundraisers are tentatively scheduled for mid-October where student groups will perform to raise money for the Democratic National Committee.
“We need volunteers for all of these activities,” said WesDems president Betti Packman ’07. “For the ‘Dorm Storm’ and other registration strategies, the more bodies we have, the more widespread our effect will be. And in this election, it’s crucial that everyone on campus gets to the polls. Another thing to do to help the cause is to call five people you went to high school with and encourage them to vote for Kerry, especially if they can register in a swing state.”
DOTQ is a group that uses free weekend cell phone minutes to make calls to voters in swing states. The numbers and scripts for calls are provided by progressive organizations such as moveon.org and America Coming Together (ACT) and are meant to find volunteers on the ground or increase voter turnout.
“I think the DOTQ method is simple and brilliant,” said Kat Johnson ’06, local organizer for DOTQ and Argus Wespeaks Editor. “A lot of kids feel like they can’t do anything about the election because we don’t live in a swing state, and the media has made pretty clear that those states will decide the course of the next four years. This is a way to directly affect swing states that’s easy, free and not that time-consuming.”
Plans for trips to swing states such as Pennsylvania and New Hampshire to canvass and register voters are in the preparation stages. Packman emphasized the importance of not voting for a third party candidate.
“I respect people who strongly believe in the goals of third parties and I don’t necessarily disagree,” she said. “I just want everyone to understand that third party votes are an obstacle for Kerry in this election and this is not the year to vote against the Democrats. Talk to people who are left leaning and explain why voting for Nader is detrimental.”
Johnson also expressed concern with election turnout.
“It’s hard to over-stress how important voter turnout is this year when last time, the election was decided by under 1,000 votes,” Johnson said. “My philosophy is that if you’re over 18 and you don’t vote, you kind of suck. Also, I’ve heard professors and political experts talk about this election as the most important in their lifetimes, and I certainly think it is in ours. Democracy on the Quad just asks people to spend a couple of hours a week for eight weeks to affect the next four years and probably much more. Any way people get involved is awesome. The way I feel is that if Bush wins, I want to look back and be able to say it wasn’t because we didn’t do everything in our power to stop it from happening.”
Voter registration is non-partisan, as are the debate watching parties planned for the presidential debates September 30, October 8, October 13 and the vice-presidential debate October 5. More information about the debates and all of the planned activities can be obtained through the Wesleyan Democrats ListServ “wes_dems.” Students can also attend one of the Wesleyan Democrats meetings Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. on the top floor of the Campus Center or contact Packman at bpackman@wesleyan.edu. For information about Democracy on the Quad, access www.democracyonthequad.org.
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