3 Days in a Row, the GOTV People Have Been Registering Students at My College

[ProudLib72]

They get them in the hallway at the entrance to the classroom building. They are relentless. I've been asked half a dozen times if I'm registered. Yesterday I asked one of them how many students they get to register. I was told that, on a good day, they get 5 or 6. I was shocked. These people spend four hours a day begging for people to register, and they only get 5 or 6? Today I asked how many people they talk to are aware of the importance of the mid-terms in November. They told me only a few know about the mid-terms (the woman who answered my question seemed surprised and delighted that I was aware of how important the mid-terms are).

I'm disheartened by this. These GOTV volunteers are putting in an extraordinary effort and see very little return. There is incredible apathy and lack of information in this country.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

1. Patriots.

That's what they look like. (Patriots).
That's 5-6 a day they didn't have before. College students have to be impacted before they get to the polls. Most don't vote bc they don't know if they can away from home.
Should be an American Holiday.

[ProudLib72]

2. Yes, the GOTV people are patriots!

Talking to them gets me ramped up. When classes end next week, I might just join them.

[Sophia4]

3. I love to GOTV. Absolutely love doing it. Join them.

A lot of people are already registered, but you get a chance to remind them about voting and why they need to do it. So the number of newly registered voters is not the entire point of GOTV efforts although it is very important.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. Good for them. Even if they only are getting 5 or 6 on a good day.

Do you have any idea why so few? Or is it simply the general apathy of young voters. Alas, even though in 1971 the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 on the premise that lowering it would get young people more involved at an early age, that never really happened. Young voters simply don't vote.

Which is why the current push to lower the voting age to 16 is completely misguided, in my opinion. Let's work on getting all of those under age 25 or even age 30 to vote, to be involved with the process, and if we're successful with them, then think about targeting even younger people.

I will say this. I was 20 in 1968, so a year to young to vote that year. It was frustrating, because I would absolutely have voted for Hubert Humphrey. So for me, in 1972, when Nixon was running for re-election, and McGovern, a crappy candidate at best, was his opponent, I couldn't work up the enthusiasm to register, let alone vote. I suppose had I been able to vote four years earlier, I'd have voted in 1972, but it's hard to say. I did register and vote four years later, and have never missed a major election since. Sometimes I pass on local primaries, but never on November elections. But by now I'm old, nearly 70, and I'm in the demographic of people who vote. Even looking back on my own personal experience, I'm not sure I can offer realistic suggestions to get young people to vote. Other than, perhaps, if they have parents who vote and are vocal about it.

[ProudLib72]

6. I think it's a combination of things

There are a lot of non-citizens at my college. One day, when there were only 9-10 people in my class, I asked who was DACA (I didn't just come out and say it like that. It had to do with the paper topics they had chosen). Three students were DACA. So that is 1/3 to 1/4 of the class. Plus, there are a lot of foreign students who are here on student visas.

The other problem is that it's the last week of classes for the semester, so the students are probably much more concerned with making their grades.

Let me just put it this way: I sincerely hope that these are the reasons and they aren't just apathetic. I try to encourage them to vote, but I don't want to seem like I'm pushing any agenda.

[pstokely]

5. isn't near the end of the semester?

won't they moving between now and the fall semester? they might be registered at their permanent address

[ProudLib72]

8. Tomorrow is my last day

Final essays for my classes are due next Tuesday. So, yeah, the GOTV people waited until the very end. It's strange they waited so long. They were at the college last Thursday, this Monday and Tuesday (we have a Tuesday/Thursday or Monday/Wednesday system, so no Friday classes). They were missing today.

This is a community college, so they live at home. We have a diverse age range, too, so a lot of my students have their own permanent residences. Even if they transfer to another college (which a lot do after two years), the colleges they transfer to are still in the area. They don't move a lot.

[pstokely]

16. when the do public schools get out?

they could register the HS seniors

[LAS14]

7. I think they do a service even when no one registers. Their efforts...

...will become subliminal memories for a lot of people. Educational, so that when their lives settle down they may remember the message of civic responsibility.

[ProudLib72]

9. I've been thinking about this

They set up at a table in the entrance to the building so they catch all the students coming and going. However, they didn't have much signage. I only saw a tiny (2'X3') banner that read something like "Register to Vote". They kind of got lost in the confusion between class periods. I will say that, what they lacked in signage, they made up for in enthusiasm. There was one guy who was bouncing excitedly all over the place. When I stopped to talk to him, man was he into it!

[csziggy]

10. 2016 the Clinton Campaign had huge GOTV pushes at the colleges & universities here

In Tallahassee. With FSU, FAMU, TCC, and a couple of private for profit colleges, they had a big pool of people to go after. They were working at the beginning of fall semester for all of those - a much larger group of new to town people than would be found this time of year. At the height of their efforts they were registering something like 50 people a day.

I think a lot of the problem right now is the time of year. When do the terms run at your college?

[ProudLib72]

11. Next Monday is the last day of classes, but I think a lot of people (like me) won't hold them

So this week should be considered the final week. Summer classes begin the 29th of this month (and there are quite a few students during the summer). Fall classes start August 20th. The thing is, our college has around 8K students during the spring and fall semesters. We have two campuses, and the larger one sees maybe 2/3 of the students. The classes run from 8am till 10pm. So you have to figure that, even though the GOTV people were there for four hours each day, they really weren't getting all of our students.

I have seen the GOTV people before, but never for more than a single day at a time. Three days in a row was impressive!

[csziggy]

12. GOTV should organize for the beginning of summer and fall sessions

I know when I was a student, many long years ago, I didn't think about voting at the end of a school session - but then that was the days of Nixon and the following discouragement. I didn't vote at all between 1972 and 19176 because I was so disgusted that people had voted for that crook.

[ProudLib72]

13. I agree, and I'm surprised GOTV didn't consider this

One question I wish I had asked was, When did you visit the other college campuses? I know it's a mean thing to think, but now I'm considering the possibility that my college was an afterthought.

[csziggy]

14. Maybe they are trainig people for future registration campaigns?

I didn't actually go out to register people, though my husband did. The team that worked out of our house had the north side of the county, well away from the colleges and universities. But the teams were kind of competing against each other so our team leader was getting reports from the team whose territory covered all the colleges and universities. Our side of town has a lot of very active liberals so pretty much everyone our volunteers talked to were already registered.

As I said, the teams were working during orientation and registration - among all the different schools that covered about three weeks during the first period we were working with GOTV. Then we had another session just before the Florida primaries, hitting the campuses to register people for the General Election and to remind them of the primary elections coming up.

We only had limited ability to work with the campaign and GOTV that year - my mother in law was not doing well (she passed away the next January) and my health had become a problem. That's why I stayed home and helped coordinate and my husband went out for voter registration.

[ProudLib72]

15. Actually, that very well could be the reason

There were different people each day. Also, I noticed one day that one person was really lively while the other person was very quiet and withdrawn (probably shy). So maybe this was a trial run for the fall semester just letting new recruits learn the ropes. I hope to see them again! I'll have to try and remember what they looked like for the fall semester.

[Hekate]

17. Students in hallways are in a rush to get to class. Wouldn't the usual card table in the quad...

...or the Student Activity Center work better?

Still, much appreciation to these folks for their hard work.

[ProudLib72]

19. Hey Hekate

You have to remember this is a community college, so they don't really bother with common areas on campus. There is nothing I would call a "quad". They set up in what is called the "classroom building". It's where the majority of classes are held (although there are classes in two other buildings as well). The student center is home to some of the college's extra-curricular groups (like the TRIO program) and the cafeteria, but it is also not really a place where students like to hang out.

[Hekate]

21. Gotcha. CCs do have a different layout and mindset, as I dimly recall from my days in one...

But that was so long ago that most of the students couldn't vote anyway because they were under 21.

Since they can all vote nowadays, trying to capture them is super important. Best of luck.

[crazycatlady]

18. I typically don't do student registration in the spring semester

However, the freshman move in days are always on a campaign calendar.

I typically go to the cafeteria/student center area around lunchtime. I'll bring with me voter reg forms, pens, and a basket of candy. THe latter draws people to the table.

[ProudLib72]

20. But this is a 100% commuter college, so no move in days

There are definitely some logistic struggles when it comes to campaigning on a community college campus. I agree that they could have provided something (anything) as enticement to register. Maybe they will do that this fall.

[crazycatlady]

22. Registration drives will be out in full force this fall

IF you're involved with them, offer to buy candy. A bag of Halloween candy will go a long way when it comes to getting students to register. Gotta bribe em sometimes (this also works with pizza when you need people to knock doors).