University of Connecticut |
CSRA poll shows students prefer Obama; worried about economy
As Election Day approaches, a straw poll of UConn students taken by the Center for Survey Research and Analysis in CLAS indicates a strong student preference for Barack Obama. The president of the UConn College Democrats, Lauren Ellis, CLAS '09, an English and communications sciences major, was unsurprised by the results. "I'm not surprised by the overwhelming majority of students selecting Barack Obama for the presidency," Ellis said. "He is known for having very strong support from youth voters, and UConn has always been known to be a very liberal campus." The poll also found that students considered the economy and finding jobs to be the most important issues, with 66 percent of student citing it as their primary concern. In response to the increased interest in the election, students have worked hard over the past month to register new voters on campus. The UConn Votes Coalition, composed of groups such as Undergraduate Student Government, Public Interest Research Group and College Dems, set up tables and canvassed in the dormitories in the hopes of increasing student turnout on Election Day. "We're very excited that we managed to get a little over 3,600 new voter registrations, and we have high hopes for Election Day," said Seamus Keating, CLAS '09, a political science major and co-chair of the coalition. "We will have three buses running to and from the polls and lots of student volunteers encouraging their peers to vote. We hope that students will turn out on their own, but we will have tee shirts and coupons for free Wendy's Frostys as a 'thank you' for those students who do." In conjunction with the influx of registrations, the town is anticipating a very busy Election Day. "We have had a very large number of registrations and are expecting an above-average turnout," says Beverly Miela, the Republican registrar of voters for the Town of Mansfield. (Mansfield has two registrars, one from the Republican party, the other from the Democratic party). When asked if the town is making any special preparations to anticipate a large number of voters, Miela said things will be business as usual "We will do what we do for every election," Miela said. "Federal elections always have a higher voter turnout and this one especially. Voters should expect some lines at the polling place." Many students will be heading to the polls for the first time this November. Most students will vote at the Mansfield Community Center, the polling place for the voting district that includes the campus. "Voters should remember that they need an ID, like a driver's license or a UConn student ID," Miela said. "They can also bring in a bill or a letter with their name and address on it." As far as the impact of the student vote, it is hard to distinguish because of the make-up of the voting district. "There really is no way to interpret what the student vote will be," Miela says. "Our district is half townspeople and half students, so there's no way to say what effect of the 'student vote' is even after the election." Despite that fact, there is no question that student turnout will be high on November 4 th . While many have already made up their mind, some are still unsure of who they will be voting for. "I think that the deciding factor for young, undecided voters will be whoever they feel a connection with because the candidate recognizes the importance and value of their vote," Ellis said. -Lia Albini, CLAS '10 Mansfield residents can find the voting district for their street address from this list: http://www.mansfieldct.org/town/government/registrar/districts.pdf
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