Political groups prepare for final poll: Democrats focus on voter registration

‘ ‘ ‘ With Election Day just a month away, the Pitt College Democrats are preparing for the… ‘ ‘ ‘ With Election Day just a month away, the Pitt College Democrats are preparing for the home stretch and registering voters. ‘ ‘ ‘ Jana Stec, vice president of the College Democrats, said she hopes that students will choose to register on campus. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It makes voting much more convenient,’ she said. ‘ ‘ ‘ But the College Democrats are also willing to help students track down the application for absentee ballots, she said. ‘ ‘ ‘ So far, the group has registered 1,000 students to vote. The College Democrats hope to get another 300 in this final week of voter registration. ‘ ‘ ‘ Registration is not the group’s only concern. Members of the group are also encouraging students to watch debates and become more knowledgeable about the candidates. ‘ ‘ ‘ The group held a ‘watch party’ for last Friday’s first presidential debate. Stec seemed quite pleased with the turnout. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We didn’t know what to expect, considering it was being held on a Friday night, but we had good attendance,’ Stec said. ‘There were many more people there than I expected.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ The event drew 65 people, when the College Democrats were expecting 35. They also planned a watch party for last night’s vice-presidential debate between Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin. ‘ ‘ ‘ After the successful turnout of the first debate, the College Democrats decided to hold watch parties for the second and third presidential debates, which are planned for Tuesday, Oct. 7, and Wednesday, Oct. 15. ‘ ‘ ‘ They are also planning a debate of their own for later in the month. ‘ ‘ ‘ The College Democrats and College Republicans will debate each other in the William Pitt Union ballroom at 8:45 p.m. on Oct. 27, Stec said. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘The Student Vote Coalition and many other student groups will also be participating in this event, and we are expecting a large turnout,’ she said. ‘ ‘ ‘ The group is also working to address voters’ concerns, specifically the illegal practice of electioneering.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Electioneering is when people take part actively in the activities of an election campaign, such as wearing clothing or buttons that support a candidate. ‘ ‘ ‘ The practice of wearing campaign paraphernalia to the polls has come under fire recently. Voting officials are disputing in court whether wearing clothing that supports a party or candidate is ‘active’ electioneering rather than ‘passive,’ and whether it should be barred this November. ‘ ‘ ‘ The College Democrats don’t seem to be very worried about this, however, and have suggested a passive solution. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We just advise people to take their pins off and wear a jacket when they go to vote,’ Stec said. ‘ ‘ ‘ Outside the voting place, Stec’s opinion is quite different. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We encourage students to wear their campaign gear at all other times on Election Day,’ said Stec. ‘ ‘ ‘ Stec and the rest of the Pitt College Democrats, while busy with many election-related activities for the next month, can’t wait for Nov. 4, when all of their work will have a chance to pay off, she said. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We will definitely be out in force on Election Day,’ said Stec. ‘We will be working closely with the campaigns to try to get out the student vote. Right now our main focus has been voter registration, because if students aren’t registered, they can’t vote.’