College Democrats, Republicans spend Election Day getting out the vote

Several members of the College Democrats have volunteered to spend Election Day in Pennsylvania. According to College Democrats president Natalie Sanchez ’14, the students will try to ensure that residents of the swing state are “registered and willing and able to vote.”

Though students may have to miss classes or lectures in order to volunteer, Sanchez said she believes the trade-off is justified.

“For something really important, I think people are willing to sacrifice a little to go out there,” she said.

The College Republicans are also concentrating on voter turnout. In the days leading up to the election, the College Republicans have been working to contact all registered Republicans at the University, including both undergraduate and graduate students. Throughout the day today, the group plans to have members spread out over campus to remind members of the University community to vote.

Both groups said their fall break canvassing trips were successful. The College Democrats’ trip to Florida was funded by the Princeton Progressives, a new advocacy group. The organization had been intent on sending students to a swing state in the crucial week before the election to mobilize voters on the left, according to Princeton Progressives Executive Committee member Tom Burka ’81.

“In the area we were canvassing, the people were mostly Democratic and a lot of them were very enthusiastic and had already voted for the President,” Sanchez said. “They voted for him in 2008 and were excited to vote for him again. Because of how important the state is, they realize it would be great if Obama got the 29 electoral votes,” she explained.

Out of the nine students who participated in the trip, four remain in Hollywood, Fla. They worked at a rally where Obama drew a crowd of approximately 23,000 on Sunday, according to the Miami Herald.

The College Republicans had to overcome difficulties caused by Hurricane Sandy in Virginia. The storm prompted many residents to relocate, and many voters were unreachable. However, College Republicans president Jacob Reses ’13 said the group still made more than 1,500 calls and knocked on about 1,800 doors over the course of the trip.

Reses said he found the experience reassuring.

“I got the sense that there was a lot of excitement on the ground and with the people we were talking to,” he said. “I noticed way more Romney signs than Obama signs in all the areas of the state we were in, and I think that that is indicative of what the race is going to be.”

On the other hand, Sanchez believes that the President’s response to the storm’s aftermath allowed people to see him as a leader, noting that many Republicans, such as Gov. Chris Christie, complimented his response to the emergency.

“It also probably took away attention from some of the momentum Gov. Romney had built up after the first debate,” Sanchez said.

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Burka noted that Christie’s response had implications for how Republicans are perceived as well.

“It’s an example of how Republicans in general complain about big government,” Burka said. “But when something like this happens they realize that common sense tells you that big government is needed to help out, precisely for this type of situation.”

The College Democrats and College Republicans will be hosting an Election Night Viewing Party with The American Whig-Cliosophic Society in Whig Hall tonight beginning at 7 p.m. They are also hosting a 2012 Whig-Clio Election Prediction Pool and students who correctly predict aspects of the race receive a prize.