Drexel Votes works to bring voters to polls on Election Day
Janhavi Purohit
Issue date: 10/31/08 Section: Features
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Formed over a year ago at the Hagerty Library, Drexel Votes has been involved in voter registration and education efforts on campus.
"The library is neutral; we don't take sides," Schwartz said. "We approached the director at the time, had a lot of buy-in from senior administration, and got it started."
The organization has hosted a series of election-focused events in the last year, including watch parties for other elections, student debates, lectures and voter registration efforts.
According to Schwartz, voter education has been an "ongoing process with some of the political science professors."
Schwartz said that Drexel Votes is currently focused on making sure students turn up at the polls on Election Day.
Jay Giller, Drexel junior and communications major, is part of a group involved in planning the election watch party in the Main Building Great Court Nov. 4.
Giller said his involvement with Drexel Votes came in the form of a project for a special events class, but that he has always been interested in politics. Giller added that Drexel Votes was a useful initiative and tool for students.
"They are pretty organized," Giller said. "By getting people out there to vote, they have helped this campus become more politically aware."
Mark Greenberg, interim provost and senior vice president of Pennoni Honors College, said that Drexel Votes does a number of things for the campus.
"It does help to educate, and as we're an educational institution and committed to educating not just professionals, but citizens of this country and the world, it's our responsibility to provide opportunities for young people to learn about the registration process, voting and the issues," Greenberg said. "So Drexel Votes, it's developed a website, hosted watch parties, hosted debates, hosted mock debates. What's most gratifying to me is that it has been student-led. The students have really picked up the ball on this one."
Greenberg attributed the opening of a polling location in Van Rensselaer Hall to an increased level of student participation in the election.
"If there were no students interested, we wouldn't have convinced the election commission to give us that polling place," Greenberg said.
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