Serving the campus of the University of Alabama since 1894

The Crimson White


Serving the campus of the University of Alabama since 1894

The Crimson White

Serving the campus of the University of Alabama since 1894

The Crimson White

Student political groups race to register voters

College Democrats and College Republicans are working together to run a voter registration drive contest now through Sept. 7, said Seth Morrow, communications director for College Republicans.

After the Sept. 7 deadline passes, Morrow said, the two groups will be able to continue registering voters through partnerships with the SGA and a group of other student organizations.

Morrow said the bipartisan effort began with an idea he had during the summer.

“This was a way to really get people excited about registering to vote,” he said. “I approached CadeAnn Smith [president of College Republicans] and Michael Patrick [president of College Democrats] with the idea of having a voter registration drive, but with a twist.

“We would see whether College Republicans or College Democrats could register more voters by Sept. 7,” Morrow said. “Of course both organizations hope they register the most voters, but at the end of the day, the real winner will be each and every student who registers to vote and takes part in the political process.”

Morrow said the drive is important for campus democracy.

“Regardless of political affiliation, both College Republicans and College Democrats want to see a more involved young electorate because the issues of today will have a lasting impact on each of us,” he said. “Young people are the ones who will be looking for jobs in a few years or the ones that have to deal with the out of control deficit.”

Michael Patrick, president of College Democrats, said the bipartisan effort has run smoothly.

“There haven’t been any real issues,” Patrick said. “Most of the officers in College Democrats and College Republicans have known each other since they started school here and have been in the same social circles.

“CadeAnn and I sit next to each other in classes that we take together,” Patrick said. “It’s a pretty friendly environment.”

Morrow said that, while College Democrats and Republicans run the drive in a bipartisan effort, the drive is focused on voters signing up, not who they plan to vote for.

“Since you don’t have to register with a political party in this state, it’s fairly easy to keep voter registration pretty bipartisan,” Patrick said. “I know that College Republicans have registered people that affiliate themselves with the Democratic Party and College Democrats has done the same for people that identify more with conservative principles.”

Morrow said the goal is to increase voter participation among an often apathetic part of society.

“College students have a bad rap when it comes to voting in elections, and we really want to change that,” Morrow said. “We want to send the message that students at the University of Alabama are engaged in the political process like never before.”

Jonathan Chapin, president and founder of the University’s Libertarian Club and a junior majoring in political science and anthropology, said even bipartisan efforts leave out third parties, Libertarian or not.

“The American political spectrum is dominated by the two-party system with the Democrats taking the left and the Republicans taking the right,” Chapin said. “Party bosses on both sides know that in order to have political control and stability, they must shut out third parties.”

That, in effect, Chapin said, is political control.

“My message to voters is that there are more options than just Democrats and Republicans, all you have to do is do a little research,” he said. “Do not just vote blindly for party allegiance; that is politically dangerous.”

More to Discover