Student volunteers made a final push yesterday, asStudent volunteers made a final push yesterday, asmany cast their first-ever vote for the presidency. While most students were still asleep early yesterday morning, College sophomore Anjali Kumar and other members of Penn for Clinton/Gore '96 were roving campus with loudspeakers, urging students to vote. And their efforts paid off, as President Clinton easily won his reelection bid over Republican Bob Dole last night. College sophomore Elissa Freedberg said she was excited about the outcome of the election. "I think with Clinton reelected as president, the country will go in the best direction for the future," she said. Wharton senior and College Republicans Chairman Tony Andreoli said the results came as no surprise to him. "I think people have been expecting this for a while," he said. "But it will be interesting to see what kind of Bill Clinton we will see in the next four years, as he won't have to worry about reelection in 2000. I wonder if he will behave more liberally or conservatively than in the past." Many student volunteers from College Republicans and College Democrats sacrificed the majority of their day yesterday to ensure smooth voting at the five on-campus polling sites. While most students voted without problems, several registered students couldn't vote at the Dental School site because their names did not appear on registration lists. Those students needed to obtain proof of their registration status from a local District Court, according to the city's majority inspector, Joan Lasprogata. She attributed the complications to registration cards that student political groups running "get out the vote" campaigns had misplaced. And several students who could vote yesterday said they thought the process would have been easier if they had understood how to work the voting machines. Student group efforts culminated yesterday as Penn for Clinton/Gore '96 papered the campus with signs and called registered students reminding them to vote, said Matt Adler, a College sophomore who co-chaired the group. Wharton sophomore Jason Auerbach, treasurer of College Republicans, said the GOP also encouraged students to vote, specifically focusing on the importance of local elections. "It was a little disappointing to see that Dole and the majority of Republican candidates were not that active in Philadelphia," he said. "But it was our goal to make people aware of their choices on the local election level and to influence them by passing out fliers right before they voted." Students coming out of the voting booths yesterday said they believed President Clinton would be reelected. Although he said he supports Reform Party candidate Ross Perot, College sophomore David Wareikis voted for Dole. "Clinton is for the status quo, and I think we need a change," he said after voting. "Perot has more support than the polls lead people to think." College Democrats President Adrienne Klembara, a College junior, praised Philadelphia's Clinton campaign. "Philadelphia really ran a good campaign for Clinton at the grass roots level -- over 100,000 were called from phone banking within the area," she said. "I was also very impressed with Penn students, many of whom were willing to go out of their way to get out their votes." And Auerbach said Dole and Clinton supporters on campus remained friendly throughout the campaign. "That's what it should all be about," he said. "We're just here to make people more aware of their choices."
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