UA to run voter registration drive

The Undergraduate Assembly will organize a voter registration drive for students and community residents starting Monday, student government leaders said this week. The UA -- in conjunction with MTV's Rock the Vote campaign and other campus groups -- plans to specifically target freshmen, members of Greek organizations and West Philadelphia residents. In addition, UA leaders will set up a registration booth on Locust Walk during the next two weeks and ask the chairpersons of student groups to distribute registration information to their members. "[We want to] give students a choice of whether or not they want to vote, not no choice at all," UA Vice Chairperson Kirsten Bartok said. All soliciting for voter registration will be nonpartisan, UA members added. "We're trying to organize and stimulate the University campus to have a national outlook," UA Representative David Rose said. "The goal is to turn out a united Penn vote, [for] Penn students to stand up and be counted." Any student who is 18 years-old or older can register to vote in Pennsylvania or request absentee ballots for their home states through the UA voter drive. Students who are unsure as to whether or not they are already registered should register again, student government leaders said, because only the most recent registration counts. Between Monday and October 3, every UA member will be responsible for registering students on several freshmen halls in the Quad, said Bartok, a College junior. Various student groups, including the PanHellenic Council, the InterFraternity Council and Penn Political Union, will be responsible for other University residences. Working with the Democratic and Republican parties of the 27th district, the UA will target community residents with voting booths at local supermarkets, said Raj George, UA Community Relations Committee chairperson. During the next two Sundays, members of the UA and various University community service organizations will register area residents who live within the boundaries of Chestnut and Spruce Streets between 40th and 48th Streets, George, a College sophomore, added. MTV's Rock the Vote campaign has donated posters and buttons to the UA and will run public service announcements about voter registration on UTV, leaders said. UA Chairperson Jeff Lichtman will try to enlist more student groups' support for the registration drive on Thursday, when the UA will hold a reception for invited student leaders, Bartok said. She said she hopes that this coordinated effort of various student groups on campus will lead to future coalitions of organizations on campus. "With coalitions you can get more accomplished," Bartok said. "Voter registration is just a start on student groups working together." Debbie Frank, PanHellenic Council president, said members of her organization are excited about the UA's registration drive. "We began last February registering our newest members," she said. "PanHel is looking foward to working with the UA to expand its potential in registering students to vote." "Hopefully the voter registration drive, which is a coordinated effort, will really show that student groups care and that we can accomplish something if we work together," Bartok said.