University of New Hampshire students organized a national challenge asking five state universities in swing states to compete with them in exciting younger voters to vote on Nov. 4. UNH President Mark Huddleston sent an invitation letter last Wednesday to the University of Colorado, the University of Florida, the University of Michigan, Ohio State University and Pennsylvania State University asking them to participate in this friendly competition.
The UNH Voter Challenge will set these schools against one another in competition to get the highest percentage of voting students in the upcoming election. However, the creators of the competition have a greater goal in mind besides winning the challenge.
"Both as a citizen and as a political scientist, I'd really like to see the disappointing and long term pattern of young people not voting finally turned on its head," said Huddleston. "As the flagship university in the first-in-the-nation-primary state, we at UNH have a chance - and an obligation - to make that happen."
The UNH Voter Challenge is an idea brought forth by Janet Polasky, a professor of history and women's studies. Faculty and student groups quickly embraced the challenge, passing it unanimously when introduced to the UNH Student Senate by Community Council Chair Kevin Linton and External Affairs Council Chair Kayleigh Lemieux last Tuesday.
Linton said one of their only concerns was a possible bias toward one candidate within the UNH Voter Challenge subcommittee. He wanted to make sure even though the UNH campus is mostly liberal, the subcommittee took a strictly neutral stance on politics. There is one student from each of the UNH student organizations, College Democrats and College Republicans, on the subcommittee. Also, the committee defended themselves, declaring supporters of different candidates and different political groups are always welcome to their meetings. The senate ultimately decided to pass the challenge because they felt it would encourage student voting for no matter which candidate the students planned to place their vote.
"We could become the largest demographic to vote, larger than the baby boomers," said Linton. "We didn't have that in 2004." UNH plans to document the number of student voters via an internal portal site on Blackboard. After voting either by absentee ballot from their hometown or in Durham, the student voters must log onto Blackboard and click to submit their votes. UNH has shared this idea with five other schools.
Although the other universities haven't yet answered Huddleston's letter, UNH has already started encouraging students to vote by providing voter registration last Thursday in Philbrook Hall.
The initiative has provided information about registering and voting on their website. They also plan on providing on-campus registration sites continuing through the month of October. Students can register to vote between the hours of 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Oct. 8 and 15 on the second floor of the MUB, as well as on Oct. 22 in Holloway Commons. Linton said the committee is also coming up with ideas for events focused on getting students excited about voting.
Polasky, inventor of the idea and a subcommittee member, said the subcommittee really wants it to be a national movement. She's thinking about the idea in a historical context.
"It wasn't that long ago that Jessie Jackson led a group of students in a protest march just to get students the right to vote," Polasky said, pointing out this challenge will provide a great opportunity for students not only in New Hampshire but in the other five state schools as well.
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