Saul Carlin Supports Democracy

Saul Carlin '09 is in CT News Junkie for his support of a new bill currently being debated in Connecticut which would allow voter registration on Election Day, possibly even at all polling locations:

Saul Carlin, vice-president of Wesleyan University’s student body, supports the bill. However, he did propose one small change. He said instead of requiring everyone who wants to register and vote on the same day to go to one location, like the Town Hall in Middletown, he would like to see it implemented at every polling place.

For Wesleyan students, Town Hall is not easily accessible for pedestrians and those who don’t have access to transportation may not have one to two hours to take out of their schedule to vote, he said.

...If the bill were to pass here, Carlin said the cost to the state would be minimal. He said Iowa spent less than $50,000 on the new act and most of the money was used to educate the state’s registrars-of-voters about the changes.

This would be convenient for many of you, Election Day somehow seems to sneak up on a lot of people - good job Saul!

CT News Junkie: Election Day Voter Registration Debated

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

These 7th Graders Want You to Vote

The students of the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta have put out this election season's most endearing voting-encouragement video, set to the beat of TI's "Whatever You Like". And they're nonpartisan! Aw, cute:

[via Huffington Post]

A Message from WesVotes

Fellow Students,

Approx. 15% of our campus voted in the 2008 Presidential Primaries (sources: Middletown Registrar of Voters, APSA). This is shameful. We hope you agree. The GENERAL ELECTION IS ONE MONTH AWAY AND REGISTRATION DEADLINES ARE FAST APPROACHING.

Decades from now, people will ask you what part you played in the election of the first African-American President or first female Vice-President ... Make sure you have an answer for them.

The WesVotes Consortium (100% non-partisan) can help you vote more easily. Despite incredible support from the administration, we still need you to volunteer 15 minutes of your time.

Class of 2009 ... you are getting beaten by underclassmen ... badly. There are already volunteers in almost every Frosh, Sophomore and Junior hall/house. The senior class is just getting started.
Classes of 2010-2012, ask around, you already have a Hall/House Captain who can get you the forms, envelopes and stamps you need.

CRITICAL INFORMATION:
-Voting Absentee: If you're already registered at home and would like to make your vote count there instead, there is VERY LITTLE TIME LEFT. In order to do this (in most states) you have to print and mail in an "Absentee Ballot Application" before your state's deadline. (See your state's deadline here).
-Voting in Connecticut: If not voting in another state, Wesleyan students eligible to vote can still register in Connecticut (Before October 21st)!!!

HOW YOU CAN HELP ((URGENT)):
-"House Captains" (1 per residence) It's easy! Just ask your housemates where they want to vote. To volunteer just email your name, house location, and WesBox# to wesvotes@gmail.com.
-"Street Captains" (1/2 per street) Want a more important role? Get a friend and team-up to make sure each house on your street has its own house captain. They'll be telling you which forms they need and answering questions. To volunteer just email your name, house & street location, and WesBox# to wesvotes@gmail.com.
Want detailed instructions for these positions? Click here!

Finally, Volunteers, please attend a mandatory 10 minute training session this week.
They run twice a day beneath the main staircase in Usdan. Here are the times:
-TODAY, Wednesday (Oct. 1st) - 5pm & 8pm
-THURSDAY, (Oct. 2nd) - 5pm & 8pm
-FRIDAY (Oct. 3rd) 12 noon & 3pm

Thank you,
Chris Goy '09, Marcus Warmington '09, Liza Conrad '10, Saul Carlin '09, & Karl Grindal '09
WesVotes Board Members
wesvotes@gmail.com

It's that time... election time!

Freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors... all can vote in the WSA elections that are happening now at wesleyan.edu/wsa/voting. Polls are open until midnight on Friday, September 12. There's also an All-Campus Survey with several questions, so go vote!

At-Large Representative candidates

• Joanna K. Seirup
• Cesar Medina
• Jennifer Spero
• Siriwan Luangthanahiran
• Alexandra San Roman
• Amy Blume

2012 Class Representative candidates

• Aubrey Hamilton
• Cordelia Blanchard
• Raghu Appasani
• Corey Dethier
• Will Levitt
• Adam Fishman
• Benjamin Firke
• Seung Kwon (Joseph) Yang
• Chrissy Bello
• Adam Ilowite
• Carlos D. Laureano
• Timmy (Hyun Soo) Lee
• Meherazade Sumariwalla
• Paul Schaffel
• Greer Dent
• Aunchisa Tapanakornvut
• Victor Pesola
• Elizabeth Fossel
• Genevieve Hutchings
• Sara Kass-Gergi
• Nam Anh Ta

[EDIT] Kate informs us: Don't forget that the all-campus survey includes questions about Psafe's ability to contact the Middletown Police, energy efficiency in campus dining, and whether or not we should have a campus bar! Exercise your voice! [Alex, 11:45]

[EDIT] Read the candidates' platforms in the Argus. Unfortunately, photos are only in the print edition. [Sheek 9/9/08, 8:31 PM]

Voting Vans, Verily

If you're like many students on campus, you don't pay particular attention to the e-mails marked "All Students On Campus." Which means maybe you missed the e-mail that went out from Catherine Crimmins Lechowicz, Director of Community Service and Volunteerism. So-- a run down:

Even though the polling location for all Wesleyan students registered to vote from campus in Middletown is within a few blocks (The Senior Center, 150 William Street near Red and Black), The Center for Community Partnerships will be indulging your laziness/helping out those who might not be able to get down to the Senior Center themselves.

According to the e-mail,

"Vans will leave every hour, on the hour, from the Center for Community Partnerships (167 High St) and every hour on the 10s from Usdan (Wyllys Ave. entrance). Students should come into the CCP to wait for the van and students at Usdan should wait in the vestibule area on the Wyllys Ave. entrance.

The shuttle will run from 10am – 6:10pm; so vans will run 10am (CCP); 10:10am (Usdan); 11am (CCP), 11:10am (Usdan), etc."

Any questions, please contact Cathy Lechowicz, clechowicz AT wes or 860.685.2841.

Tips for those who plan to vote

Julia Cheng '08 sends us some excellent tips on voting:

If you were abroad last year, but had registered to vote in CT (I switched so I could vote in 2004), you are probably on their "inactive list." If so, on Tuesday, simply go to the Senior Center (located across from Red and Black), tell them you are on their inactive list, and ask for a restoration form. Tuesday will be crazy, so it'll be much easier for everyone if you go in knowing to do this, since you will NOT be on their active voters' list.

If you have any questions, you can call the Town Hall directly at (860) 344-3459. They are super friendly and helpful. They can also easily check for you if you are registered in CT or not.

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.