DM Articles

From the title of this piece it is clear that the Presidential election of this year did not turn out as I and many others had hoped it would.

The high that many Americans felt last Tuesday has barely had time to wear off. Regular people are still wandering around like crazies with patriotic hats, smiling wildly and holding bottles of sparkling wine out to strangers. Everything appears so alien, so — positive.

LOCK HAVEN - The addition of three voting machines to the Third Ward polling place suggested an increased interest from the area's youth. But what happened there was more than most imagined.

On Tuesday, November 4, the excitement that this historic election season has generated finally reached a culmination as every news station began announcing the results from across the country. 

Students, staff, and faculty members packed into Donovan's Pub Tuesday night to watch election results and many returned, a bit bleary-eyed from staying up so late, this morning to attend a forum sponsored by the Department of Political Science. Even though the presidential campaign lasted nearly two years, the final few hours of Election Night were electric for those at the pub watching to see which way the key swing states would actually swing.

Young people always have been the core workers in presidential campaigns, but seldom have they been so inspired by a candidate or so effectively molded into viral campaigners and voters as they were in this election cycle.

If you're searching for tangible reasons why it became possible for Barack Obama to make his historic run at the presidency of the United States, then look no further than the golf course, basketball court or football field.

With Ohio and Pennsylvania called early in the evening and the state of California called at 8 p.m., Senator Barack Obama of Illinois will become the 44th president of the United States of America. 

At Butte Falls High School when someone says Mr. President, they can only be referring to one person and that person is Daniel Boyd. Dan has been class president each of his four years at Butte Falls High. But that is only a small part of the role he plays with the students and the community.

It's the start of the basketball season and nearly the end of the election season, and both arenas are passions for Orlando Magic center Adonal Foyle.

With Election Day just around the corner, Hamilton students and faculty are taking action to encourage student participation in the election. Democracy Matters, a non-partisan, non-profit organization with campus-based chapters around the country, engages students in efforts to strengthen democracy in America. Kevin Rowe '10, president of the Hamilton chapter of Democracy Matters, has been leading efforts to both register and educate young voters on campus through Engage '08, a campaign designed to mobilize and exciteHamilton students about the 2008 election.

If you have ever walked down Monarch Square during club day and saw a young lady with bold framed glasses discussing the government while trying to register you to vote, then you have met Andrea Barrera.

As of August 31, 2008, financial reports showed that John McCain had raised $230 million and that Barack Obama had raised $454 million for their respective presidential campaigns. McCain decided to accept public funds for his general election campaign while Obama declined, becoming the first major party presidential candidate to do so since the public funding system was initiated in 1971.

The SMU campus is buzzing with political activity this semester. However, according to Rock the Vote, only 49 percent of registered voters between the ages of 18-29 voted in the 2004 Presidential Election. That's why the SMU Debate Team, Democracy Matters, Students for a Better Society, the Association of Black Students and the Political Science Symposium are combining forces to raise political awareness on campus. 

With the election only two weeks away and the voter registration date passed, several activist and political groups at De Anza College in Cupertino have been encouraging students to get more involved in politics.

Etan Thomas emerged from the Washington Wizards' locker room at Verizon Center this week looking like a walking campaign advertisement. He wore a black T-shirt adorned with a picture of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and the words "Yes We Can" in bright gold lettering.

Despite the election-related frenzy that has invaded campus, a large number of students have chosen to remain unregistered and largely uninvolved with the political world.

Oct. 20 may not seem like an important date to remember, but for Californians wanting to have their say in the upcoming presidential election, this day is the cut-off for voter registration.