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Decision
2002
Campus groups push for support
The Young Democrats and College Republicans
are working to increase voter participation and awareness
on campus.
By
Antoinette Vega
Staff Reporter
As candidates move across the state to spread their
political messages, student organizations are doing
the same on campus before today’s general election.
Fighting
for the Senate in tight races from Colorado to New England,
Republicans are counting on voters worried about the
nation’s security while Democrats are seeking support
from people concerned by a faltering economy.
While
candidates are discussing political issues, the organizations
— the Young Democrats and the College Republicans
— coordinated efforts with a representative from
MTV’s Rock the Vote setting up tables in the Student
Center to distribute voting information.
Michael
Farris, president of the Young Democrats, said the organization
sponsored a voting drive with gubernatorial candidate
Tony Sanchez’s daughter, Anna Lee Sanchez, and
now is encouraging students to do their part and vote.
“Voting
is one of the most important rights someone can have,”
said Farris, a senior speech communication major. “Someone’s
vote goes a long way to change the government.”
Jenny
Stutheit, president of the College Republicans, said
the organization has had a table set up for a week,
actively trying to increase student participation on
campus.
Stutheit, a junior education major, said the College
Republicans presence in the Student Center reminds students
the importance of casting their vote.
“Since
we will be the ones leading in the future, we need to
let our voice be heard now through voting,” she
said. “It is easy to get distracted and forget
about the issues happening outside of campus.”
The
College Republicans are scheduling speakers for their
meetings and plan to ask victory representatives to
be involved, she said.
Despite
the two parties’ efforts, there appears to be no
national issue in Tuesday’s election that will
decide control of a Senate now evenly split.
Sunday,
a poll in The Dallas Morning News showed Republican
John Cornyn with a nine-point lead. The poll that had
a three-point margin of error, meaning Cornyn’s
lead over Democrat Ron Kirk could be as large as 12
points or as small as six. The Houston Chronicle reported
that Cornyn was up by six points with nearly a four-point
margin of error.
Both
candidates concentrated on the eastern half of the state
Monday. Austin, Dallas, Houston, Nacogdoches, San Antonio,
Texarkana, Tyler and Waco were on Kirk’s itinerary,
while Cornyn’s schedule included Houston, San Antonio,
Temple and the Austin suburb of Cedar Park.
Cornyn
appeared with Gov. Rick Perry and lieutenant governor
hopeful David Dewhurst Monday morning at a GOP rally
in a Cedar Park warehouse. With wife Sandra by his side,
Cornyn appealed to about 150 Republican supporters to
choose him to end what he called dysfunctional leadership
in the Senate.
“We
need to change things in the U.S Senate, and if you
send me there, we will,” he said to cheering supporters.
a.c.vega@tcu.edu
This report contains material from The Associated Press.
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