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The political club King’s Students for Obama reactivated for the fall 2008 Semester. With the presidential election on the horizon, the club’s overall objective is to raise awareness for the Democratic presidential nominee, Senator Barack Obama. By supporting Mr. Obama, members believe that they are taking an active role in the senator’s campaign for the presidency. Pennsylvania is a prime battleground state in the national election. Luzerne County is crucial to winning Pennsylvania.
The club coordinates directly with the Obama campaign. Their office is located at 238 Kidder Street. King’s Students for Obama will spend weekends with campaign staff canvassing Wilkes-Barre neighborhoods attempting to persuade voters to support Senator Obama. Canvassing is an effective technique to persuade undecided voters, because going door to door establishes personal connections that may convince people to vote for a particular candidate. King’s Students for Obama may also participate in phone banking. Calling likely and undecided voters impresses upon them that Mr. Obama and his volunteers care about his supporters. Phone banking is a more effective tool than canvassing, and gains access to more registered voters.
Youth voter registration will be critical to this race. King’s Students for Obama will attempt to register one hundred percent of King’s students regardless of party affiliation. Reuters published a recent poll that shows Obama leading McCain in the youth vote, 52%-40%. Youth voter turnout will be key to Mr. Obama winning in Luzerne County, which he lost by a 3-1 margin in the Democratic primary to Hillary Clinton. Student volunteers will be at numerous events around the city including Party on the Square to register college students. Also, a voter registration table will be on campus on selected weekdays. If students are already registered, they may want to consider switching their voting location to their campus address. Registering on campus allows voters to vote in Wilkes-Barre without the bother of applying for an absentee ballot. Absentee ballots often take weeks to obtain and return. The voter registration deadline is October 6th.
King’s Students for Obama will also sponsor debate watching parties. Senator Obama and his opponent Senator John McCain will debate the topics that concern Americans today. There will also be a party for the vice presidential debate. These gatherings allow students to view historic events and discuss politics in the company of friends. Students of all political ideology are welcome at the four debate watching parties. The first debate is on September 26th.
The 2008 presidential election is one of the most critical in our nation’s history. King’s Students for Obama realize that our country needs change and they wish to do everything possible to see Senator Barack Obama become the next president of the United States. |
