Major voting rights event on campus tomorrow

The Wesleyan chapter of Democracy Matters is hosting a major voting rights event on campus tomorrow night in the Woodhead Lounge. State Representatives from the Government Administration and Elections Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly will be present to hear student concerns regarding voter registration deadlines and how they systematically disenfranchise certain groups, including students, young people, minorities, and people from lower-income backgrounds.

All are invited to participate in this unprecedented opportunity to have their voices heard by real elected officials who hold the power to enact real, substantive change in the state of Connecticut.

What: Forum on Voter Registration
When: 7:15pm, Wednesday night
Where: Woodhead Lounge, Exley Science Center

This Week: Voter Registration in Middletown's North End

Starting tomorrow afternoon, Wesleyan students will have the opportunity to spend three days registering voters in the North End, "Middletown's last truly urban residential neighborhood" right across Washington Street. The effort will be a partnership between two local grassroots organizations, Middletown's North End Action Team (NEAT) and Wesleyan's chapter of the non-partisan student organization Democracy Matters. This event gives Wesleyan students the opportunity to become engaged as community partners to North End residents, as well as an opportunity to work with and get to know local Middletown High School students.

Interested students should meet up with the NEAT organizers who will operate tables in Usdan 3-5pm on the afternoons of Tuesday-Thursday, October 14-16. There you will be given voter registration materials, instructions, and walking directions to certain locations in the North End, which is only a few minutes off campus. We will be canvassing several bus stop locations in the North End alongside the members of the Teen Dreams Society, a group of Middletown High School students interested in community engagement.

Thanks to this event and the efforts of the Teen Dreams Society, North End residents will have the opportunity to participate in the most important election of our lifetimes. All Wes students looking to get engaged in the community are encouraged to attend, even if just for a few hours. Go individually or in groups!

What: Register North End Residents to Vote
Who: Wes Students, Democracy Matters, NEAT, Teen Dreams Society
Where: Get started in Usdan
When: Any time between 3pm-5pm, Tuesday-Thursday, this week

Please contact Saul Carlin of Democracy Matters with questions by e-mailing scarlin at wes.

Register to vote!

Democracy Matters has a table up in Usdan from 6-8 tonight for voter registration.

The Connecticut presidential primary is a closed primary, which means that only those registered as Democrats or Republicans will be able to vote in the respective primaries come February 5th. While it is too late to change your party affiliation, if you're not affiliated with a party or are a new voter you have until February 4th at noon to register.

Make sure you're part of the action, and register as soon as possible. The table in Usdan is as easy as it gets.