Heather Forbis, a junior in radiology from UNC, volunteers at the North Carolina Republican Party Headquarters on Hillsborough Street. She was one of the top three volunteers in a contest at the headquarters to make the most phone calls in a short time span and got to meet Gov. Sarah Palin.“[Palin] was a really nice, genuine person and it was [wonderful] that she took the time to talk with us when she could have been doing something with the campaign,” Forbis said. (Photo by Meredith Faggart)
Students continue campaigning
Drew Wall, a senior in history and chairman of Students for Barack
Obama, said so far there has been a record turnout for voters casting
their ballot early.
“I already early voted on Friday,” Wall said.
He said that so far, voters have appeared in double the turnout of voters
compared to the number of voters who cast their vote early back in 2004.
Ches McDowell, a freshman in political science and chairman of
College Republicans agreed.
“I heard a lot of students saying they already eary voted because it
was convenient,” McDowell said.
Part of that he said was because Obama has been ecouraging voters to vote
early.
“Obama has been pushing very hard for early voting,” McDowell said.
Signs of this are everywhere he said.
“Almost every site I’ve been on says something by Obama about voting
early,” he said.
However, McDowell said won’t be voting early.
“I’m waiting until Election Day because I like the excitement,” McDowell
said.
Last night, College Republicans had a voting party at Red, Hot and Blue on Hillsbrough Street, McDowell said. Dick Armey, the former House of Represenatives majority leader was there at 5 p.m.
“Afterwards we’re all going as one group to go vote,” McDowell said during the event.
Students for Obama will start their Get Out to Vote campaign on Nov. 1, Wall said.
“We’ll be canvassing dorms and phone banking to get students out to vote,”
he said.
Wall believes that the student vote will play a huge role in the upcoming
election.
“College students will decide the election,” he said. “We cannot over
emphasize the impact of students in the presidential election.”
Also, Wall said that Students for Obama have opened a new office located at 600 St. Mary’s St.
When Joe Biden was at Meredith College yesterday, Students for Obama
volunteered to make sure that people who were not registered are going to
do one stop voting, Wall said.
College Democrats also volunteered its services, said Derek Gatlin, a senior in sociology and president of the organization.
“We did a phone bank for Larry Kissell yesterday,” Gatlin said.
He said that on Mondays and Tuesdays, the phone banks will be campaigning
for Obama and on Wednesdays the focus will be on Hagan.
“With 13 days until the election, we are spending as much time as we can
on phone banking,” Gatlin said.
Laura Mense, a junior in international studies and a member of Students for
McCain, said the organization goes to the GOP office on Hillsbrough
Street on Thursdays to volunteer.
“When we have meetings, we sign up for volunteer hours,” she said.
The Students for McCain are also picking up the phone and calling people.
Mense said that when they volunteer they make calls making sure that people are voting.
When people are at the GOP office, she said, if there is anything they need done, we do it.
“Some of us are going to be poll watchers” on Election Day she said.
“When we’re there, our role will be to make sure everyone is doing everything the way it should be done,” Mense said.