Immigration, education and health -care reform dominated the joint-party discussion between the Dartmouth College Democrats and Dartmouth College Republicans in a forum titled "Democrats and Republicans: On issues affecting people of color" Wednesday night at the Rockefeller Center. With less than five weeks leading up to the election, potential-voter turnout was high at the event, co-sponsored by the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan and Alpha Pi Omega Sorority, Inc.
Representatives of both of the campus political groups sought to address questions relevant to minority issues, according to discussion facilitator Eric Sanabria '10, president of MEChA.
Shaun Stewart '10, co-founder of Dartmouth for Obama, and David Imamura '10, president of the College Democrats, faced off in an informal debate against Doug Zarbock '10, treasurer of the College Republicans, and Steve Avila '11, secretary of the College Republicans. Audience members asked the two teams questions regarding issues relevant to minorities, including Native American education and Latin American foreign policy.
While Stewart answered questions on health care and education, citing relevant examples from Obama's platform, Zarbock and Avila were less vocal about their candidate's platform. Audience questions on McCain's health-care and immigration policy were often left unanswered.
"Why is illegal immigration a problem? It's illegal," Zarbock said, in response to a question about McCain's shift in stance on immigration reform. Avila added, "We can't just open our borders and be like, hey, here's a hug."
Many issues were lost in unresolved arguments or were not adequately answered by representatives of either party, Sanabria said.
"The talk was devoted to a lot of platitudes " that's a criticism I have for both parties," Sanabria said. "Instead of addressing minority issues separately, the parties tend to clump them together as a group."
Campus political organizations are mobilizing their BlitzMail lists and student volunteers in an effort to win New Hampshire on election day. A presidential debate watch party held last Friday at the Rockefeller Center elicited a "great turnout," according to Harrison Davies '09, vice president of the College Republicans.
"People were flooding the aisles," Imamura said. "We filled Rocky 1, 2, 3 and part of Silsby 28."
Both Imamura and Davies cited increased student interest in their political groups this election year, especially from the Class of 2012. More than 300 members of the freshman class signed up for the College Democrats in the last two weeks, which Imamura said was "more than ever." Over 100 students, including non-U.S. citizens, attended the first College Democrats meeting of the term Monday night. Attendees volunteered to canvass, phone bank and act as "dorm captains" in every residence hall to encourage voting for the Obama campaign.
"There's the sense that the next president can really shape America's destiny," Imamura said. "I know they say that every election, but this time, it's true."
Government professor Linda Fowler said that the campus has been more politically active during the 2008 election than it has been in recent years.
"The major difference is that the state is no longer reliably Republican, and therefore both parties have been eager to have student support, both as voters and volunteers," Fowler said in an e-mail to The Dartmouth. "Nationwide, there has been a big shift among young voters away from the GOP, and the same pattern is present on the Dartmouth campus."
Obama is leading McCain in New Hampshire by 2 percent, with 10 percent of the vote "undecided," according to the CNN.com N.H. general election Poll of Polls, which compiled the results of three polls conducted in the state between Sept. 18 and Sept. 24, 2008.
This small margin makes the potential impact of the College on the state's general election "huge," according to Beau Trudel '10, co-founder of Dartmouth for Obama.
"With around 5,000 potential voters at Dartmouth, this campus could sway New Hampshire," Trudel said.
Dartmouth students also have an opportunity to make their voices heard on a national level because New Hampshire has been a battleground state in recent presidential elections, according to Kaili Lambe '09, outreach director of Dartmouth Power Vote, an organization which promotes environmental issues in the upcoming election. And in a state where 17 percent of primary voters decided their vote on election day, according to an MSNBC exit poll, the contest may not be decided until Nov. 4.
Almost 80 percent of eligible voters at the College voted in the N.H. primary on Jan. 8, according to Derek Summerville '11, a member of Vote Clamantis, a non-partisan voter registration group. Vote Clamantis will hold two voter registration drives on Oct. 8 in Collis Center and Oct. 15 in Tindle Lounge.
