Hundreds of students lined up to register to vote in New Hampshire last Thursday outside of the Collis Center, lured by free food and the promise of a streamlined registration process. Approximately 10 percent of the Dartmouth student body registered to vote at the drive, with a final count of 417 people, according to Hanover town clerk and Supervisor of the Checklist Elaine Hawthorne.
The nonpartisan registration drive, sponsored by Collis Governing Board, was part of a series of recent efforts to engage and register student voters, according to Governing Board member and College Democrats President Mason Cole '13. Hanover employees and Office of Residential Life representatives verified students' local residences at the drive, and Stinson's provided food.
"We have been going right up on campus so hopefully we'd catch as many students as possible," Hawthorne said. "They had a barbecue out front, and food always draws all the students."
Hawthorne said that despite the recent debates over voter identification laws and whether students can vote in the state where they attend school, there was minimal uncertainty on Thursday.
"There was a little confusion where they were not sure what form they were going to be using, but it's all straightened out now," Hawthorne said. "We haven't had to ask for anything different from the students now than we have in the past."
Political groups have also become involved in the effort to explain current voter registration rules. Along with organizing events, coordinating volunteer opportunities and passing out "commit to vote" cards, the Obama campaign in New Hampshire has attempted to ensure that students are knowledgeable about the registration process, including the fact that students who show up to vote without identification can still sign and submit affidavits verifying their identities.
"We're doing everything we can to make sure everyone knows they have the right to vote on Election Day," press secretary for the Obama campaign in New Hampshire Harrell Kirstein said.
Students have previously registered during Spring term registration drives and other elections, Cole said.
An additional 200 voters have registered by going to Hanover Town Hall in recent weeks, according to Hawthorne, who said that she currently has a "very large pile" of registration forms on her desk.
Because no more formal voter registration drives will occur, interested students must register at Town Hall until pre-election registration ends on Oct. 27.
On Election Day, Hawthorne and other town representatives will conduct same-day voter registration. Large numbers of voters have exercised this option in past years, with 664 Hanover residents completing same-day registration in 2008, she said.
The same-day lines will be shorter and students will be more likely to vote if most students register before Election Day, according to Cole.
"You can register the same day, but often that leads to a backlog or people leaving if it takes too long," he said.
A wide variety of campus organizations, ranging from Greek organizations to political groups, have become involved in voter registration and political engagement efforts. The Center for Women and Gender has also sponsored various politically-oriented events, according to CWG Director Jessica Jennrich.
The CWG provided information at an event held during Orientation, attended by over 100 first-year women, Jennrich said. The CWG also co-sponsored a vice-presidential debate watch party, celebrated National Voter Registration Day by distributing information to its members and co-sponsored a session of Women's Forum dedicated to the election.
Although the CWG collaborates with the Upper Valley League of Women Voters, it encourages participation independent of gender, Jennrich said.
"In 2008, the [former] director said how important it is for women to exercise their right to vote, and I'd add men to that call, as well," she said. "It's important that everyone exercise his or her right to vote."
Dartmouth's voter registration drives are similar to those held at other colleges, though a growing number of schools are implementing additional systems, such as asking students to register when they receive their student identification cards, according to Northwestern University senior Rebecca Portman.
Portman is the coordinator of the UVote Project, a Northwestern-based initiative designed to increase the percentage of registered voters in the student body. UVote's success at Northwestern with 94.4 percent of students currently registered has been replicated at seven other schools so far, she said.
"The fundamental idea is to integrate voter registration into an existing campus procedure," she said.
As students continue to make plans to register, they should consider the impact that the election will have on their future, according to Rock the Vote National Political Director Amanda Brown '07. Dartmouth students' votes will be especially influential because New Hampshire is a swing state in this year's presidential election.
"I think that at the national level and on campus, the youth vote is definitely trending upward," she said. "Students have an incredible opportunity to play a role in the outcome of the New Hampshire vote, so that's one thing to be proud of and look forward to."
Brown said that because neither of the candidates have been talking to youth voters as much as they were in 2008, turnout of student voters will likely be lower this year.
Representatives from the College Republicans were unavailable for comment by press time.
