Election Day is Finally Here!

Well, it has been a long election season. Tomorrow makes the long wait, hard work, and extra stress all worth it though. The American people will elect the 44th President of the United States who will lead this country during a financial crisis, war, and declining international stature. We will also decide on thousands of local elections and ballot issues that will greatly impact our daily lives. No matter the outcomes of these reaces, we can all revel in the notion that despite our many problems, we still have the greatest Democracy in the world and will move in a new direction as a country starting November 5th.

If you have not already voted yet (and have been waiting patiently for Election Day to come) please keep a few things in mind:

1. Make sure you take proper ID to the polls. You can find more information here, but an Ohio driver's license is the best if you have one.
2. You can not be turned away to vote if you are in line by 7:30pm, just don't leave the line!
3. If you run into any problems, call 1-866-our-vote for help.
4. Don't wear any clothes or buttons that support any candidates while voting. You will most likely be asked to cover it up anyways.
5. Take a sample ballot with you so you already know how you are going to vote in each race and you can look up questions ahead of time.
6. Enjoy yourself! This is the most important right we have so take it all in and vote with your heart.

Washington Post Article on Ohio

Check out this article that goes through the latest poll numbers in Ohio.

Article

New Poll on Voters Under 30

USA Today, MTV, and the Gallop polling agency teamed up to conduct a fairly comprehensive poll on voters under 30. The results show a number of very interesting insights. They break down the poll in this article.

The data looks at presidential preference, party affiliation, and issues that younger voters feel strongly about. Similar to the entire electorate, economy is vastly regarded as the number one issue on voter's minds. The poll also finds that an astonishing 73% of those surveyed intent to vote this fall, a very encouraging number.

The poll was conducted September 18-28 and included land lines and cell phones.

Homer Simpson Encounters Voting Problems

This is a leaked video of the Simpsons Halloween Episode. Homer has a little trouble voting when he tries out the electronic voting machine. He also makes mention of Ohio!

VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE TODAY

The voter registration deadline is today. Please make sure you turn in all the forms you collected throughout your voter registration activities, it is the law!

Also, you can mail them in as long as they are postmarked with today's date. This does not mean you can just drop them in a post box, as they may not be picked up until tomorrow. The best way to go is to drop the directly off at the county board of elections or a post office.

Also, it is very helpful to copy forms so you can follow up with potential voters as election day nears.

Good luck!

Social Activist, Author, and Speaker in Ohio

Paul Loeb is currently in Ohio speaking on student political engagement. He is conducing faculty/staff workshops and talking with students about how to encourage political engagement among their peers.

These are his events coming up:

Oct 3 mid afternoon Faculty/staff workshop on Engaging students in the election. At Baldwin Wallace College, Berea, OH. Contact Tiffany Hansbrough at thansbro@bw.edu.

Oct 7 Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education, Dayton OH. (Held at Sinclair Community College) Contact Cindy Thomas at cindy.thomas@soche.org.
Link to information

Oct 8 Greater Cincinnati Consortium of Colleges & Universities, Cincinnati OH. (Held at Northern Kentucky University in Covington) Afternoon faculty/staff workshop on election engagement, evening general talk. Contact Janet Piccirillo at piccirillj1@nku.edu.

Link to information

New Ballot Issue Guide

A new guide is uploaded on the Ohio Campus Compact website explaining the statewide ballot issues on the November ballot. A direct link is here and also linked from Resources Page on OCC's site.

Please post if you have any ideas on how to use this guide on your campus. I think it would be great to have a forum dedicated to explaining and discussing these issues.

Test out sample ballot

There are two ways to see a sample ballot in Ohio:

1. The first way is to see a generic sample ballot from the Ohio Secretary of State's website. The direct link is here which is linked from their About This Election page.
2. The other (and much better way) to see a sample ballot is to go to the website of your county board of elections and see the actually ballot you will be voting on with all of the local issues and candidates on it. One problem is that some counties don't have websites for their board of elections so this method is not possible for everyone. To see a listing a of County boards with links to their websites (if they have one) go to this page and check out your ballot today! http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/elections/boeDirectory.aspx

For example: you can see my local ballot in Franklin County.

Confirm your voter registration information

The Ohio Secretary of State's website allows registered voters to search online for their information. You simply fill in a few lines of information and then you can confirm your registration status and your polling location.

All voters should do this before Election Day to ensure there are no errors that prevent you from voting on election day.

http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/voterquery.aspx?page=361

Debating our Destiny

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/debatingourdestiny/index.html

This is an awesome website! Jim Lehrer, of PBS's The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer has made a second installment of "Debating our Destiny" which chronicles Presidential Debates from 1976 to 2004. Watch all the videos, they will get you excited about next Friday, September 26, the first Presidential Debate of the current election.

Students’ “dependent” status not affected by voter address

There have been a number of rumors and some false statements about registering college students to vote. Some of this misinformation concerns the dependent/independent status of students. Traditional aged college students often claim their parent’s home as their own while they are in college. Their parents also claim the student on their tax forms and students claim their parents income on their FAFSA. Most traditionally aged college students (unless they’re married or have filed a petition with their school to be independent) are categorized as dependent students.

Being a dependent student has quite a few ramifications such as often receiving less financial aid (because students are claiming their parents income) and the ability to stay on their parent’s health insurance plan while attending school.

What is very clear, however, is the location a student chooses to register to vote does NOT affect their dependent status. This is contrary to the beliefs of many people and the statements of some election officials. It is actually a personal decision whether a student should register in their hometown or where they are attending school. In my opinion, it comes down to which location do students feel closer to? If a student feels closer to their hometown and wants to vote on candidates and issues that affect their hometown, then they should either arrange to vote at home in person (either by early voting or on election day) or by absentee ballot. If a student has fallen in love with their college town or city their institution resides in, then they should register to vote there so they can influence the policies that affect their adopted hometown.

This is the official word from the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office:

“A student may vote using his or her Ohio school residence address. However, the student may not also vote an absentee ballot where he or she last lived (e.g. with one or more parent or guardian). When a college student votes from his or her school address, the school residence is considered to be the place to which the student’s habitation is fixed and to which, whenever the student is absent, the student intends to return, and is considered by the student to be his or her permanent residence at the time of voting.”

Here is in article from Inside Higher Ed that explains a particular situation in Virginia, but it applies broadly to other states:

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/09/03/voting

Ohio Ballot Access: Breaking News!

Just today, the Ohio Secretary of State's Office confirmed that the Green Party is going to be on the ballot in the November 4th General Election.

From the Associated Press:

"A spokesman for Brunner said Wednesday that she made the decision voluntarily in light of recent court rulings allowing minor party candidates to appear on the ballot.

The Green Party's petition to make the ballot was rejected last month because it lacked the 5,000 signatures required in a Brunner directive. Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney and vice presidential candidate Rosa Clemente sued Brunner in federal court.

Brunner's office also said that the names of Constitution Party presidential nominee Chuck Baldwin and vice presidential nominee Darrell Castle also will appear on the ballot."

These won't be the only third party candidates on the Ohio ballot this fall. On August 21st, the U.S. District Court Judge Edmund Sargus ordered the Socialist Party placed on the Ohio ballot. Brian Moore is running for president with Stewart Alexander as his vice-president. Also on August 21st, independent candidate Ralph Nader filed 14,285 signatures (well over the 5,000 required) to put his name on the ballot alongside running mate Matt Gonzalez. Earlier, on July 17th, another court ruling directed Libertarian candidate Bob Barr and his running mate, Wayne Allyn Root, to be placed on the ballot after they did not turn in enough signatures.

Politics1 has the most comprehensive list of presidential candidates I have been able to find. You can find information about all the national candidates, including those not listed on the Ohio ballot. http://www.politics1.com/p2008.htm

I will create a one page flier to pass out on Ohio's campuses with information about the Presidential candidates. I will post that on the website soon!

All these candidates add a great deal of color to the Presidential landscape. It is important for students to know about all of the candidates because many people can be turned away by both of the major political parties. With these other options, students can feel comfortable that someone will resonate with them.

Convention Coverage

Anyone can watch the Democratic and Republican debates (this week and next week) free on C-SPAN (http://www.c-span.org/). This would be a great floor activity for returning Resident Assistants! RA’s can also help their residents register to vote. You can find the proper forms on Ohio Campus Compact’s website.

Enjoy all the hours of exciting coverage!

Register to Vote Online

With today's technology we can register to vote online! It is easy!

Simply click on this link, fill out the form, print it out, and send it to the provided address! It doesn't take more than five minutes.

For those planning voter registration drives, go to http://www.studentvote.org/ and you can customize your own voter registration tool and put it on your website!

Check it out:

Resources Posted Online

I apologize for not posting anything new for a while, but I was on vacation then got really busy when I came back. Part of what I was doing was preparing to showcase our Voter Engagement project at the Ohio Campus Compact Service Learning Symposium last week at Ohio Dominican University. The event was fantastic and I was able to meet so many great people. While talking to everybody, we came up with some amazing ideas for this project, which I will definitely post more about later.

For now, I would like to highlight the resources that I have posted online so far to help you program on your campus. All of the resources are posted as PDF’s on Ohio Campus Compact’s website here or at www.ohiocampuscompact.org.

Programming

1. Campus Checklist

This is the best place to start. It contains a great deal of ideas to get you thinking about various programs and how to attack them.

2. Ohio Election Volunteer Guide

This is an extension of the checklist with a greater focus on how to go about planning on your campus.

3. Your Voice, Your Vote Handbook

This is a "second opinion" resource of sorts. It is a more comprehensive guide to voter engagement that another organization put together.

4. Calendar of Important Dates

Contains all the dates you need to know: registration deadlines, conventions, debates, and so on.

5. Map Tool

An interactive map tool to see what other campuses are doing and which campuses are involved. Be sure to upload your information on there so we can easily keep track of who is involved. You will also be able to connect with others people working on similar activities on you campuses, nearby campuses, or campuses around the country. http://www.campusvotemap.org/

Registration and Voting

1. Ohio Voter Registration Form

The most important form! You can print as many out as you like or request a bulk order from the Secretary of State's Office for free.

2. Ohio Absentee Voter Form (Living Inside U.S.)

You can now vote absentee in Ohio without any particular reason. This form will allow you to do just that.

3. Ohio Absentee Voter Form (Living Outside U.S.)

This form can be used to register to vote if you are living outside the U.S. You must send this form to the country board of elections office in which you are registering.

4. Ohio Voter Registration Instructions

A two page summary of voter registration from the Secretary of State's Office.

5. Voter Information Guide

A comprehensive report on voting in the 2008 General Election. It is probably only necessary to read if you are planning activities on you campus, but not for the average voter.

6. Ballot Issue Summary

This is a draft summary of the six ballot initiatives that will be on the statewide ballot in November.

7. Ohio Candidate Guide

Coming Soon!

Fliers

1. Voter ID Flier

A two page flier from the Secretary of State's Office informing voters of the new regulations for voter identification. A great summary to put on a display board or up in an office.

2. Recruitment Poster

This can be used to post around campus to recruit others to help with voter engagement activities.

3. Ohio Election Dates Poster

A summary of the Ohio deadlines that can be put on a display board or in an office.

4. Ohio Election Dates Door Hanger

Same as above, just in door hanger format.

Note: Anything that has the iVote logo has been created as templates. They can be edited for you individual campus as much as you see fit.

That is all for now, but please let me know if you see something missing or have other suggestions by posting a comment or emailing me.

Why is Voting Important Anyways???

As we start our voter engagement projects, I think it is important to reflect on why voting is important in the first place. Below are my thoughts on voting, but I understand that voting is meaningful in many different ways to different people. I encourage you to share your own thoughts on why voting is important in the comments section.

Too often I hear people, especially young people, say, “Why vote when it doesn’t really matter anyways?” They feel disenfranchised and that the system is broken, so why bother getting involved? Many do not see any benefit from the representatives they elect, and often times do not see much of a difference between candidates. I understand these sentiments to a point, but voting does in fact matter. History has shown that only a few votes can change elections, change people, change events, and alter the course of humanity.

People often underestimate the power that they have, leading them to become cynical of the system. When I was a student government president, students would often remark how useless a student government was because we had no “real” power. Although these students were partially correct - student governments often have very few delegated powers - students always have powers in numbers and influence. If enough people become motivated about an issue, they can invoke lasting change.

Even in presidential elections, it can only take a few people to make a difference. Take the 2000 presidential election for example: only 537 votes separated George W. Bush and Al Gore in Florida, meaning that only 269 votes could have changed the outcome of the entire presidential election. Similarly, in 1876, only 445 votes in South Carolina could have swung the election between Rutherford Hayes and Samuel Tilden, and in 1884 only 575 votes in New York could have made a difference between Grover Cleveland and James Blaine. Out of the last 43 presidential elections, five could have been changed by less than 2,000 votes, while eleven could have been changed by less than 10,000 votes. (Sheppard1)

Given the fact that there are well over 600,000 students in Ohio, new student voters can determine the outcome in Ohio and very likely, the outcome of the entire presidential election in 2008. It is important to note that these examples are only from presidential elections. Imagine how many examples there are of close local and statewide elections in which only a few votes made a difference. One group’s registration efforts in a community can determine the outcome of any number of elections, starting from city council all the way up to the presidency.

In reality, however, this project is not about any one given election, local or presidential, or even about elections in general. This project is not even about the act of voting. Yes, our means and our goals of this project do center on getting more young people to vote in the November election, but the important outcome at the end of this one election cycle, will be to get students to engage in a lifetime of active citizenship. I asked Alex Keyssar, the Matthew W. Stirling, Jr., Professor of History and Social Policy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and an expert on democracy and voting, “Why is voting important?” His thoughts were:

Voting isn't important, per se – by itself, as an act in and of itself. But it is important to stay tuned in to what is happening in the world around you, what the state is doing, what policies are being adopted. It is important to try to understand what those things are and how they do affect you (because they do). Once you do that, you'll be likely to vote – because you'll see that it might well matter.

This project is about a lifetime of political engagement, of which voting is an essential part. President Lyndon Johnson said, “Voting is the first duty of democracy.” Voting is one act of political engagement but being an engaged citizen is much more. As I wrote in the first paragraph, voting means different things to different people. The point is: be an enlightened citizen and find what passion brings you to the polls. Abraham Lincoln said, “Elections belong to the people. It is their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.”

People cannot ignore the world around them. If someone doesn’t like what they see, then they should change it and the first place to start is at the polls.

1. https://www.msu.edu/~sheppa28/elections.html#2000

Introduction: Let's Get Started!

Hello, and welcome to the blog of Ohio Campus Compact’s initiative to get more college students to vote in the upcoming 2008 election. Voting is an essential part of citizenship and democracy. Too often, however, people between the ages of 18 to 24 feel disenfranchised and do not fulfill their duty to vote.

Ohio Campus Compact understands this and is working with many partners to raise awareness in Ohio to ensure Ohio’s colleges and universities are doing their part to energize these voters. We also understand that we cannot plan events for almost 140 colleges and universities. Instead, we are working collaboratively with our partners to help institutions plan events on their own campuses.

Our roll is to be the information gatherers, data collectors, facilitators, and collaborators.

At this writing, there are only 111 days left until the general election on November 4^th. This election has already proved seminal. In the 2000 primary (the last primary with both major parties conducting a competitive primary) only 15% of people age 18-29 voted. In the 2008 primary, that increased to 25%! More and more young people are also realizing that the actions of our leaders today on issues such as climate change, social security solvency, fiscal deficits, and energy independence, affect our lives many years from now,

In Ohio, voter turnout of people age 18-24 has also been increasing. In the 2000 general election, only 42% showed up to the polls. In 2004, this increased a full 13 percentage points to 55%. At the end of this cycle I am confident we will be able to look back and say that we again saw an increase in voter turnout, which was at least partly due to our efforts.

This goal can not be reached unless every school is engaged in this initiative. This is why I decided to create this blog. I will be calling each school individually and sending information to them to help with their voter engagement activities, but this blog can definitely help. With this blog, we can keep everybody together on a more constant basis and act as a hub of information for Ohio voter engagement activities. I plan to post resources, discuss activities occurring on various campuses, and encouraging a dialog on how we can improve our activities.

In the meantime, please check out http://www.compact.org/vote/, http://www.yourvoteyourvoice.org/, and http://www.declareyourself.com/.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to post a comment. You can also email me at Kyle.Bohland@yahoo.com

Thank for your interest and I look forward to working with you!

Kyle Bohland