Penn State College Democrats Work For More Votes
This story was written by M, Daily Collegian
Even though some students have put election season behind them, a few are still working to get the votes.
About ten Penn State College Democrats gathered in the first rows of 102 Thomas Building Monday, calling Georgia residents, asking them to vote for Jim Martin in the state's runoff election Tuesday.
Among those students on their cell phones, Samantha Miller, executive vice president of the College Democrats, worked through a list of Georgia residents. If Martin wins the seat against Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss, the Democrats will be one step closer to having a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.
Frank Baumgartner, professor of political science, said whether there is a filibuster-proof majority for the Democrats, president-elect Barack Obama is in a good position.
Though it has happened in the past, filibuster-proof majorities are not common, Baumgartner said.
The Democrats have 58 seats in their favor with races in Georgia and Minnesota still undecided, according to the Associated Press.
If those who voted for the Libertarian candidate favor Martin, he could pull through, Miller said.
"I think it'll be interesting to see where the Libertarians go," Miller said.
Penn State students on campus are not the only ones working for a candidate in the race, however. A couple students trekked to the southern state to go door-to-door campaigning.
Sunday Wright (freshman-communications), who worked for Barack Obama's campaign, is one of those students door-knocking.
After arriving in Georgia, Wright said she helped make hundreds of calls and knocked on about 200 doors Monday, passing out door hangers that included information about the candidate and where to vote.
"Since it's so close to the election, we're only knocking on Democrats' doors," she said.
A good portion of the people she approached did not know about the Dec. 2 vote, Wright said, adding that many forget about the vote after the presidential election.
"It seems simple, but it's a lot of work and they need a lot of volunteers," she said.
Though the Democrats made efforts to support their candidate, no plans are in place for College Republicans to work for theirs.
Alex Smith, chairman of the College Republicans, said his organization would not get involved in other states' Senate races.
"I actually don't even really know what's going on with that race," he said.