Carolinian

Issue date: 10/3/06 Section: Campus News

Media Credit: JOHN READ/THE CAROLINIAN Sophomore Ashley Weinberger (foreground) and senior Alicia Cipicchio fill out registration forms at the table manned by (from left to right) PAC President Danielle Nelson, James Hauser and Ben Berkowitz.

Spray-painted t-shirts, poster boards, markers, tents that housed discussion issues that would never be raised at the dinner table, and registration papers all packed into a gorgeous sunny day-one could easily mistake College Avenue for a small summer festival.

Thursday definitely ushered UNCG students into the beginning of a long weekend with the "Rock the Vote" campaign - with a UNCG flare - to the Tate Street Festival on Saturday to the Fall Fest Events that were being held all week.

Action packed, the events on Thursday for "Turn up the Vote" lasted from 9 a.m. for tent and table holders to 11 p.m. Although the registration drive was under the MTV campaign of "Rock the Vote," it had a UNCG spin to it, thus labeling it "Turn up the Vote." "Turn up the Vote" is different from the regular college campus "Rock the Vote" because it offered live music from WUAG.

The concert hoped to promote more turn out because young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 are least likely to vote in an election out of any age group. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's Web site, only 46.7 percent voted in the 2004 presidential election. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 63.8 percent of all Americans voted in 2004.

Registration was offered for voters all day on College Avenue in the Free Speech zone. Emily Pendleton, president of College Democrats, stated this is an issue of "the political environment, [and how] people need to realize it's not just the presidential elections that matter." The voters who registered would be valid for the November midterm elections this fall.

Another service offered was for the many students who need to change their registration from the area they used to live in, to instead be involved with Guilford County. The November election is approaching fast. Organizers hope many of those who turned out to support those in booths and the music featured on Thursday night will also show up at the polls next month.

Continued...

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