The College Democrats are currently concentrating on the inauguration and efforts to send a group of students to Washington, D.C. for the College Democrats of America conference the weekend preceding the event, according to organization President David Imamura '10.
"We are still trying to figure out how the trip will work," he said. "Some members have managed to get [inauguration] tickets, but we do not have enough yet. Once we get down there, though, I think it will be easier to get tickets."
After the inauguration, the College Democrats hope to outline their primary objectives for the coming years, Imamura said.
Specifically, the College Democrats will push to allow 17-year-old New Hampshire residents to vote in the primaries if they turn 18 before the following presidential election.
"What we are looking at now is more issue advocacy," he said. "The goal is to identify issues that important, but not so large issues that we would not be able to make a difference."
The College Democrats will also work on efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in New Hampshire, he said.
A group from the College Republicans will attend the Conservative Political Action Conference in late February, according to Doug Zarbock '10, treasurer of the College Republicans.
The Republicans will also co-host a conference of local party chapters, an event that will feature former New Hampshire Gov. John H. Sununu, father of Sen. John E. Sununu, R-N.H., Jennifer Bandy '09, president of the Dartmouth College Republicans, said in an e-mail to The Dartmouth.
Planning for other major campus events is limited at this point, according to representatives from both groups.
"We have a lot of programming in the works, but nothing definite at the moment," Imamura said.
The College Republicans, Zarbock said, will continue to look for new members and encourage students to attend speech events on campus.
In the upcoming months, the College Republicans will focus primarily on encouraging political discourse and increasing political enthusiasm at Dartmouth, Zarbock said.
Victoria Stockman '10, president of the College Libertarians, said this past election did not affect her organization's strategy.
"It doesn't matter who wins," Stockman said. "Government is still going to expand anyway. In terms of politics, we are more interested in Hanover and New Hampshire, rather than the central government."
Vote Clamantis, a group that registers and encourages students to vote, has completed its main objectives for the year, according to Jessica Guthrie '10, the group's president.
"There is nothing really happening with Vote Clamantis right now," Guthrie said, adding that the organization hopes to resume activity next year and encourage the members of the Class of 2013 to register to vote.
Leaders from both the College Democrats and the College Republicans said they expect their membership to decline now that the election has ended.
Involvement in political groups tends to peak as major elections approach, with student participation generally dropping off immediately following election day, Imamura said.
"From what I hear, in 2004 after the election, membership in the College Democrats definitely decreased," Imamura said, although he added that the organization currently plans to be more active post-election than in the past.
Matt Slaine '06, who was a member of the College Democrats during the 2004 presidential campaign, said he did not see membership decline significantly immediately after the 2004 election.
"I remember that I was surprised that Dartmouth students continued to be involved in political organizations," he said. "I don't think they thought of the election as a one-time thing -- they wanted to start gearing up for 2006 and 2008."
Although the College Republicans will likely also lose members, Bandy said, the group is working to encourage continued student activism.
"[We] remain hopeful that through exciting programming, we can continue to inspire active participation in local and state politics on the part of Dartmouth students," she said.
Some students who were politically active this past election year, however, said they plan to decrease their activity in the near future.
"In terms of getting more involved, I want to eventually," Saagar Kaul '12, a member of the College Republicans, said. "I feel like now is kind of a resting time. We need to recoup and get back into the swing of things. Maybe next year I'll start things up again."
Rachel Eggleston '12, a member of the College Democrats, said she also plans to take a break from political activism, but hopes to become involved again before the next election season begins in 2010.
Slaine served as business manager for The Dartmouth between 2005 and 2006.
