The average person doesn’t spend too long planning for election day. You may need to figure out what time you are voting, and you might have to google the ballot. For a College Democrats president, the planning starts in July.
I must make sure we are ready to recruit a kick-ass team of door-knocking Democrats. Having a pitch ready for the organization fair is vital.
Once we recruited the students, we were off. Starting September, College Democrats canvassed every weekend. We made a targeted effort to reach students. Overall, we knocked on 2,000 doors in two months.
After knocking on all those doors, we weren’t done. We also tabled every week this semester. We brought our local Democrats with us. It is so important that we give candidates the Memorial Union lunch-rush audience. More importantly, we give students the necessary accessibility to their elected officials.
Why do we do this? Why do we give up our weekends to make sure students hear about their local democrats? We know that democrats represent student interests. Orono is in State Senate District 8. We have the Republican Candidate Leo Kenney challenging the Incumbent Democrat Mike Tipping. Senator Tipping has worked with student groups, including ours, on passing bills. He actively encourages students’ input and assists in our advocacy.
The election of Leo Kenney would be detrimental to student voices. He actively avoids student questions, and I have no doubt he would continue that pattern upon election. We know this and we know the weight that our organizing holds. We do not just organize for Democrats to win the election. We work to ensure students are represented by officials in Augusta.
Now it is Tuesday, Nov. 5. I have a few more hours to make sure as many students get to the polls as possible. I can only hope we make a difference in this election. True student representation only occurs when we encourage and assist voting. After this, College Democrats move straight into lobbying season. Our lobbying capacity and ability is directly determined by the results of today’s elections. I encourage all my fellow University of Maine students to vote today.
