With the Pennsylvania primary four days away, Penn for Obama and Penn Democrats plan to continue Baracking the vote - only more so.
In the days leading up to Tuesday's primary, Penn for Obama will "pretty much ramp up everything we have been doing," Wharton freshman and co-president of Penn for Obama Mike Stratton said.
This means trying to get more volunteers, according to Stratton, who said today's rally with Obama - which will be held at Independence Mall - will "excite a lot of people."
In addition, Penn for Obama will "continue trying to educate people about the upcoming election," according to Wharton MBA student Julian Harris, the group's other co-president
"We want to make sure people know where to vote and know to vote early," said College sophomore Lauren Wyatt, Penn for Obama's campus get-out-the-vote director.
Penn Dems, which has endorsed Obama, will start intensive get-out-the-vote efforts today, according to Penn Dems President Lauren Burdette, a College sophomore.
The goal of these efforts is to "ensure that people who support Obama will turn out and to convince undecided voters" to vote for him, Burdette said.
These efforts will mostly consist of canvassing and phone-banking, according to Burdette. "This is not sexy work," she said, "but it is effective."
On the day of the primary, Penn Dems is planning to distribute literature about Obama, but Burdette explained that the group will basically "be doing whatever the campaign needs help with" and that the group's task "could change as the needs of the campaign change."
While Penn for Obama is "still in the planning process" in terms of the day of the primary, Stratton said, they will have a major presence on campus that day.
Tables will be "literally everywhere" on Tuesday, Wyatt said. In addition to Penn for Obama's current table on Locust Walk, there will be tables around the perimeters of all the polling locations.
These tables will be a resource for people who are having problems voting and also a place where people can ask questions about Obama or about logistics, Harris said.
Neither Penn Dems nor Penn for Obama has specific plans after the Pennsylvania primary.
Obama is "at a huge disadvantage in this state, so we think it will go beyond Pennsylvania, but we are not even looking at that yet," Stratton said.
"We are focusing on Pennsylvania right now."
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