Spring Break
Student groups get out the vote at UConn
Kate King
Issue date: 11/3/08 Section: Election Special
Student groups on campus will be providing free rides to the polls and giveaways in order to encourage student voting tomorrow.
Voting should be easy for students, according to Alex Nguyen, a 5th-semester political science major and co-chair of the UConn Votes Coalition.
The UConn Votes Coalition, a non-partisan group of students represented by members of USG, PIRG, College Democrats and College Republicans along with other prominent groups on campus have organized transportation to the polls for UConn students.
Three buses will pick up students and bring them to the polls. The UConn Votes buses will stop at East, Towers, Northwest, South and the Student Union every 15 minutes, Nguyen said. The Yellow Line will also drop students off in front of the Mansfield Community Center.
The coalition will be giving out T-shirts and possibly coupons for free Frostys to all students who vote in Mansfield, according Seamus Keating, a 7th-semester political science major and co-chair of the coalition.
"We're really trying to foster excitement. Our goal is to get students to vote in Mansfield because it shows student involvement," Keating said. With recent budget cuts, it helps to prove to Hartford that UConn students care to make a difference. According to Keating, votes placed in Mansfield can be tracked and recorded, but absentee ballots cannot be measured.
UConn has been getting more politically involved recently. There was a 47 percent voter turn out in the Congressional Election of 2006. a 720 percent increase from previous years, according to Lauren Ellis, a 7th-semester English and communication sciences major and president of UConn College Democrats.
"2006 was pivotal, that kind of activism has never been seen here. UConn is on par with some of the top schools with political activism," Ellis said. "We got put on the map, we are talked about in Washington. [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi even talked about UConn's voter turn out."
Ellis, along with the rest of the UConn Votes Coalition, has been working hard in order to improve voter turn out. This includes registering people in Mansfield, handing out campaign literature and calling people to remind them to vote.
On the last day to register by mail, PIRG tabled in the middle of campus. According to Nguyen, 477 people registered in one day. With the registrations this past semester, Keating believes the 3,000 mark has been passed.
However, just because over 3,000 students registered to vote does not ensure that all of them will actually show up at the polls. This is why the UConn Votes Coalition will provide buses to make transportation easier.
"We want to make it as easy and accessible as possible, so everyone can take part in the exciting election," Ellis said.
Voting should be easy for students, according to Alex Nguyen, a 5th-semester political science major and co-chair of the UConn Votes Coalition.
The UConn Votes Coalition, a non-partisan group of students represented by members of USG, PIRG, College Democrats and College Republicans along with other prominent groups on campus have organized transportation to the polls for UConn students.
Three buses will pick up students and bring them to the polls. The UConn Votes buses will stop at East, Towers, Northwest, South and the Student Union every 15 minutes, Nguyen said. The Yellow Line will also drop students off in front of the Mansfield Community Center.
The coalition will be giving out T-shirts and possibly coupons for free Frostys to all students who vote in Mansfield, according Seamus Keating, a 7th-semester political science major and co-chair of the coalition.
"We're really trying to foster excitement. Our goal is to get students to vote in Mansfield because it shows student involvement," Keating said. With recent budget cuts, it helps to prove to Hartford that UConn students care to make a difference. According to Keating, votes placed in Mansfield can be tracked and recorded, but absentee ballots cannot be measured.
UConn has been getting more politically involved recently. There was a 47 percent voter turn out in the Congressional Election of 2006. a 720 percent increase from previous years, according to Lauren Ellis, a 7th-semester English and communication sciences major and president of UConn College Democrats.
"2006 was pivotal, that kind of activism has never been seen here. UConn is on par with some of the top schools with political activism," Ellis said. "We got put on the map, we are talked about in Washington. [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi even talked about UConn's voter turn out."
Ellis, along with the rest of the UConn Votes Coalition, has been working hard in order to improve voter turn out. This includes registering people in Mansfield, handing out campaign literature and calling people to remind them to vote.
On the last day to register by mail, PIRG tabled in the middle of campus. According to Nguyen, 477 people registered in one day. With the registrations this past semester, Keating believes the 3,000 mark has been passed.
However, just because over 3,000 students registered to vote does not ensure that all of them will actually show up at the polls. This is why the UConn Votes Coalition will provide buses to make transportation easier.
"We want to make it as easy and accessible as possible, so everyone can take part in the exciting election," Ellis said.
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