Voter registration deadline Monday

October 3, 2008

Students actively campaign for this year’s elections in order to persuade eligible voters to meet deadline

By Sara Rogers
<srogers@hilite.org>

While other students spent their summer relaxing by a pool, working or going on vacation, junior Vincent Reuter spent seven weeks in Cincinnati working for Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. Reuter is one of many students here and around the United States getting involved with the upcoming election. “I had seen all the coverage of the election and I wanted to get involved,” Reuter said.

As voter registration comes to an end this Monday, major news organizations such The New York Times and Newsweek expect that the turnout among voters under the age of 21 will be greater this election than last time’s.

Government teacher Alicia Smith said she has noticed more student involvement this election. “You see an energy that we haven’t seen in years past on both the Democratic and Republican sides,” Smith said.

vote

Smith attributed student intere

st to new methods of appeal by the candidates.

“Candidates aren’t just appealing to voters through political shows and debates; they’re going on shows like ‘Saturday Night Live’ and ‘Oprah’,” Smith said.

Candidates also use the Internet to appeal to younger voters through e-mails, Web sites and other tactics such as broadcasting debates on YouTube, according to Smith. Both Obama and Sen. John McCain added blogs and videos to their already tech-savvy Web sites, reaching out to a whole new variety of voters.

“You’re seeing a lot of publicity by each candidate and their vice president,” Bryan Granato, registered voter and senior, said. Granato said he started to pay more attention to the election this year since he is eligible to vote. He said students should get involved with the campaigns because “(students) are the majority of people voting. They should know who they are voting for and what that candidate stands for.”

Granato has also noticed a lot of student involvement and interest in the upcoming election. He attributed the increase to the current war in Iraq. “Students know family and friends involved in the war, and I think it’s given them a connection to the government that younger people didn’t have in the past,” Granato said. Granato said he plans to vote for McCain and get more involved with his campaign with some of his friends.

Although he is not eligible to vote due to his age, Reuter began working with Obama’s presidential campaign earlier this year by calling prospective voters in TX, VA and WI. Before the Indiana primary, he campaigned by knocking on doors, organizing student activities and putting up signs.

Last year, a student in Reuter’s art class influenced him to get involved with the election. Reuter said, “That made me want to pay more attention.”

As to why he decided to support Obama, he said, “I don’t think we’ve ever seen a candidate before that has worked with average American’s as much,” Reuter said. “That’s what’s resonated most with me.”

While following the election, Reuter said he noticed younger voters getting involved.

“I think (the Iowa caucus) showed the most student involvement. The percentage of students that turned out was more than the general turnout,” Reuter said. “This showcased the power high school students have.”

Students also show their support for candidates by wearing T-shirts and joining clubs or Facebook groups. Here, the Students for Barack Obama began last year prior to the Indiana primary. Also, another group of students ran a McCain support booth during the Homecoming festivities.

As both presidential campaigns unfold, the influence of young voters becomes more and more apparent. Reuter said he plans to continue his work for Obama and hopes to increase the already escalated enthusiasm towards the election and its student voters.

Reuter said, “I think students are realizing how much they influence the election and how much the election influences them.”

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HOW TO REGISTER TO VOTE

  • Meet criteria (age 18 by Nov. 4, US citizen)
  • Download voter registration form OR acquire from government teachers
  • Fill out necessary information
  • Provide copy of driver’s license or last 4 digits of social security number
  • Sign the form
  • Mail to Hamilton County Registration Office

CO.HAMILTON.IN.US / SOURCE

Updated by News · Filed Under News 

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