COLLEGE DEMOCRATS

Increasing voter turnout one of several priorities

CURT BELL & TIFFANY HAMELIN
DM Staff Writers

College political organizations around the nation are gearing up for the presidential elections this November and the College Democrats here at Ole Miss are no exception.

Throughout the past week, the College Democrats have provided an information table in the Union in the hopes of increasing voter registration among students. Robert Foster, a political science major and the president of the organization, strongly advocates registering to vote.

"Until we all get involved and vote, they are not going to pay attention to us. If we all vote, we can greatly influence the outcome," Foster said.

The College Democrats are involved with election activities in several other capacities as well.

"We sponsor student-led debates, which will be coming up soon," Foster said "We've also helped set up a Democratic headquarters in Oxford and (we've been) campaigning for Gore and other Democratic candidates. On Election Day, we're going to organize a pool to take people to vote."

With around 30 active members, the College Democrats have been busy with preparations for upcoming civic events in addition to their political involvement, including organizing a canned food drive for the local community and surrounding areas in Lafayette County.

Foster encourages Ole Miss students to get out and get involved in helping the community. He feels that the more active the group is the more exposure they receive. As a result, people become connected with the political process and the campaign as well.

"The Democratic Party (members) are the ones actually helping students. Conservatives fight for the status quo and not-needed change," Foster said.

The College Democrats will be participating in the series of mock debates that will be held Oct. 3 and 17 on the Ole Miss campus. Robert Foster will represent the Democratic Party and will debate against Tom Danson, a student representative for Youth for Bush and Keith Wright, the spokesperson for the Freedom Hills Green Party of North Mississippi.

The appointment of new Supreme Court justices, campaign finance, health care and affirmative action are just some of the issues the College Democrats plan to address during the debates. The next elected president will have the task of appointing at least three new Supreme Court justices. The group feels that this is a crucial issue in the election.

Another issue that the College Democrats feel is important is affirmative action programs that could be abolished by a conservative movement. The College Democrats are trying to educate students on campus about this issue as well as others that apply to minorities, such as racial profiling and the propensity of African-Americans to receive the death penalty as well as stricter criminal sentencing than whites.

The last day to register to vote is Oct. 6.