When it comes to Election Day, Penn student groups have their fingers crossed.
Tomorrow, they will find out whether their get-out-the-vote efforts convinced voters to head to the polls in one of the most heated midterm elections in recent history.
College senior Bren Darrow, president of the non-partisan Penn Leads the Vote, said the group's efforts were going "very well."
"There will be balloons and signs all over campus on Election Day, and we will be providing food at the polls in the morning and mid-day," Darrow said.
Darrow added that over 200 volunteers will be roaming Penn's campus in the afternoon, reminding people to vote and pointing out polling locations.
Penn Leads the Vote has also been advertising on Facebook.com, up to 40,000 times a day on the UPenn network.
"We are using every avenue available to remind students about Election Day and ensure that they know when and where to vote," Darrow said.
Student groups' efforts extended beyond campus this past weekend. Penn Leads the Vote manned the two water stations at the 5K Dash for Democracy on Saturday morning at Independence Mall. The event was hosted by the Philadelphia political watchdog group the Committee of Seventy.
Anne Mahlum, director of outreach and marketing for the Committee of Seventy, said that the Dash was "appealing to a young audience" such as college students.
Around 2,500 people were expected to register for the event, Mahlum said.
Darrow said the group's participation was meant "to raise the profile of Penn as an engaged campus" as well as "encouraging civic engagement outside of Penn's campus."
Additionally, Penn College Republicans executed their 72-hour plan to get Republican voters to the polls.
College Republicans chairman and Wharton junior Michael Shiely said their efforts this past weekend were "mainly focused on getting out our Republican base."
Volunteers were "in the suburbs, where most of our Republicans voters are . working with the various campaigns and the state Republican Party to help achieve our goal of high Republican turnout . going door to door . and making phone calls to people that we have identified as Republican voters to remind them to vote on Nov. 7," Shiely said.
While the Republicans are intent on their off-campus efforts, the Penn College Democrats have been actively getting out the vote on campus.
"We're . going to be going door-to-door to as many dorm rooms as possible, encouraging students to get out and vote," said College sophomore Samir Sonti, field director of College Democrats.
"On Election Day, we're going to have a central station on the Walk where we are reminding everyone of the need to vote," he added.
The locations of polling stations in the area can be found at leadthevote.com or at seventy.org/map. Students's polling place is based on where they were living when they registered, not necessarily where they are currently living.
