The Triangle

Issue date: 9/26/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Melissa Cell Babs Tennent (pictured above), of the Drexel Democrats, hands out voter registration forms to incoming freshmen during a University 101 class.

Media Credit: Melissa Cell Dadly Cordero, a Drexel Democrat, visited different University 101 classes and spoke to freshman about registering to vote and the approaching Oct. 6 deadline.

The Drexel Votes 2008 group, the Drexel Democrats and Drexel Republicans have been working recently to register students, according to Dorothy Schwartz, director of Administrative Services for W. W. Hagerty Library.

Schwartz explained that Jane Bryan, director of libraries for Drexel University, enlisted support of the Provost's Office, Interim Provost Mark Greenberg, and Executive Vice President Tobey Oxholm.

Vice president of the Drexel Democrats, John Lloyd, described the group as a "consortium for civic engagement."

Schwartz said pre-primary registration efforts enlisted 3,500 people; however, numbers from the Drexel Democrats disagreed.

Sean Miller, president of the Drexel Democrats, said their efforts registered 2,000 voters the last school year.

Miller explained the Drexel Democrats registered 1,500 people in six days alone. He also said 504 students were registered in one day during the period.

Schwartz, Miller and Lloyd agreed that registering freshman is a priority. Miller added that his group is aiming to register over 3,000 first-year students by Oct. 6, the deadline for registration before the upcoming presidential election.

According to Lloyd, the Democrats are reaching out to the University 101 classes to contact freshman.

"[There are] two myths we would like to expel," Schwartz explained. The library director mentioned an effort to let students know that they can be registered to vote in Pennsylvania, regardless of their voter status in their home state.

She also wanted students to be aware that their financial aid will not be impacted or related to their voter registration location.

Schwartz lastly stated that students would be able to have a "tremendous effect" in local and city politics.

Over the next two weeks the groups will be pushing their efforts to register more students, including a Sept. 29 open mic rally in the quad that will voice student opinions, feature a live band, and discuss various election opinions, Schwartz said.

Lloyd also outlined debates the Drexel Democrats and Drexel Republicans will have in the Bossone auditorium Oct. 8 and Oct. 29, focusing on energy and the economy, respectively.

The topics had been agreed upon with the Drexel Republicans and there has been a push since last April for the debates.

Against the efforts of the Drexel Votes 2008 group, several "voter intimidation" letters have been distributed on campus, according to Domenic Ceccanecchio, senior associate vice president of Drexel Public Safety.

Kristin Smith, president of the USGA, informed Ceccanecchio of the flyers.

A copy of the flyer may be found on the Drexel Democrats' web site.

It describes police reviewing voters for outstanding warrants and tickets and arresting offenders on the spot as they go to vote.

Schwartz called the flyer "blatantly untrue" and iterated that it was a tactic that has been used before. She also added that in Pennsylvania police are not allowed within 100 feet of the polling place unless they themselves are voting.

The library director as well as Lloyd and Miller found the letter as a classic attempt to scare students. Schwartz identified the flyer as a force that does not want Drexel students to band together.

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