Iowa Schools Are Encouraging Students to Caucus

[babylonsister]

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/14/encouraging-students-to-caucus/

Encouraging Students to Caucus

By Sarah Wheaton

When Iowans caucus on Jan. 3, the state’s college students will be spread far and wide on winter break. But some colleges are trying to make it easy for their students to give up home cooking for a few days and head back to campus early to help nominate the next president.

For instance, Grinnell College’s chapter of the College and Young Democrats of Iowa is organizing car pools for out-of-state students who want to caucus, said the group’s president, Alec Schierenbeck.

“We have kids coming back from Oregon and New York” and points in between, Mr. Schierenbeck said. He estimated that “well over 100 students” would return to Grinnell, which has a higher proportion of out-of-state students than other universities in Iowa.

Dorms will be closed, so the Grinnell administration has agreed to let students camp out in a gymnasium.

Sarah Mirk, a Grinnell student from California, envisioned a utopia for a young lover of politics. “Dozens of students sleeping on the gym floor, unwinding from long road trips and talking politics,” she said.

Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, for one, has been urging students to register to vote and to attend the caucuses. Iowa election law allows students to register to vote in their college towns.

Presidential candidates who have strong campus organizations include Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, at the University of Iowa, and Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, at Grinnell.

[Debi]

1. THEY'RE CHEATING!!! WE CAN'T LET YOUNG PEOPLE PARTICIPATE

IT'S NOT RIGHT AAARRRHHHHHHH :yoiks:



Thanks for the article. Seesm that more and more Iowans are coming forward to tell the doubters that we WANT and ENCOURAGE participation in our process.

:hi:

[babylonsister]

2. HA! I hope people here have been dispelled of the notion that

having college students caucus is not illegal at all. I think it's smart politics and should be considered a learning experience. Might help to encourage future Dems, and what's not to like about that?

:hi:

[sniffa]

7. don't count on it

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3837873

[Adelante]

5. Glad you got that out of the way

:rofl:

[sniffa]

8. ...

:rofl:

[rurallib]

3. Gee, I don't see anything about 'republicans' in there?

do they not encourage participation?
:shrug: :shrug: :shrug:

[Debi]

6. Oh, of course they do

If you have two forms of ID and proof that you own two homes and a Mercedes in the precinct (oh, and that you've accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior!)

[Lucinda]

4. I think its great that Grinnell is letting them camp in the gym!

It wonderful to see them finding ways to help the students participate. :thumbsup: