COURTESY OF TERESA SULLIVANJunior Teresa Sullivan spent last night handing out coupons.
Not the most exiting thing to do on a Tuesday evening, perhaps-but per a partnership with St. Louis Project Democracy (SLPD), Crazy Bowls agreed to give 20 percent of purchases to the group for each patron who presented a coupon.
Sullivan, Washington University’s Project Democracy intern, is the founder and director of the St. Louis branch of the national non-partisan voter mobilization effort. SLPD is in the midst of its “Rock the Vote” campaign on campus this week, and members of the group have already registered approximately 90 new voters by dorm storming on the South 40 Monday night.
“Our main focus is to register people to vote in Missouri because it is a swing state…and it will be easier for [students] to vote while at school,” Sullivan said of their efforts.
Sophomore Julia Desmond also stressed Missouri’s importance in the upcoming presidential elections.
“A lot of people at Wash. U. are registered at home, but those states may always vote for one party or another,” she said. “If they vote in Missouri, it can make a big difference [in the outcome of the election].”
At tonight’s SLPD kickoff meeting at 9:30 in Lambert Lounge, representatives from the group will answer questions about their mission, both on campus and in the greater St. Louis area, and explain how students can get involved in voter mobilization.
“[The meeting] will be a planning session for all of the educational events we’ll be doing this semester, and a brainstorming session for the fall, when things will really kick into gear,” Sullivan said.
The group will be registering voters at WILD later this month, having an Earth Day forum to make students aware of environmental issues, and educating students about absentee voting at a study break during Reading Week.
“We want to demystify one of the more confusing aspects of the voting process,” Sullivan said, stressing the importance of young voter registration.
After finding out about Project Democracy from a University graduate who is friends with organization’s founders, Sullivan decided to start the SLPD chapter. In its first year at the University, the organization hopes to form collaborations with other groups.
“We’re trying to build coalitions with other campus political groups, and we’re also a part of the presidential debate planning committee,” Sullivan said.
She and Desmond, along with freshman Danya Ganyacheskis-Gold and junior Aaron Seligman, went on an alternative spring break trip to Orlando with Project Democracy earlier this month. They learned grassroots organizing skills, registered new voters, and canvassed about issues for the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, which supports Project Democracy.
“We learned about issues that are applicable to young voters right now, and registered voters in poor black and Hispanic neighborhoods that are usually underrepresented,” Desmond said. “We left with a solid foundation…for how to make a difference in this upcoming election.”
Sullivan noted that the conference made her realize Project Democracy is a nationwide effort.
“There were hundreds of activists there from campuses across the country-and most have Project Democracy programs. We’re part of a national trend. We know we’re not alone in this effort to get young voters out to the polls,” she said.
Her favorite part of the conference was a speech given by “Granny D,” a 94-year-old activist who walked from California to Washington D.C. to advocate for campaign finance reform at the age of 90. She is currently on a mission to mobilize voters for the upcoming election.
SLPD will wrap up its “Rock the Vote” campaign with voter registration at Happy Hour in the Gargoyle tomorrow and non-partisan grassroots organizing training at Camp Wellstone April 2-4.
“It’s another venue for us to refine our grassroots organizing skills and [learn] how to be better activists for the causes we champion,” Sullivan said.
Interested students can register online at www.wellstone.org.