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Tribune/Debra Reid - Pre-law student Nick, 19, who asked that his last name not be used, asks other University of Nevada students if they are registered to vote in Reno on Thursday.
“Are you registered to vote?” he asked.
Most said they were already registered or perhaps were busy going to class, but Nick, 19, a pre-law major who asked that his last name not be used, didn’t mind. He was happy to be helping out for a cause.
Nick and other volunteers around campus were continuing a month-long nonpartisan campaign to urge college students to register to vote. With fewer than 10 days before the first voter registration deadline, some groups, such as young adults and Hispanics, are being targeted to help influence the outcome of the November election.
The emphasis Thursday at UNR, however, was on Sen. Barack Obama’s “Campaign for Change.”
“I love his policies,” Nick said of Obama. “I’m hoping for changes in funding education and science. His idea of changing tax laws to reduce loopholes is phenomenal.”
Democratic congressional candidate Jill Derby also was on site to help volunteers focus on their mission to increase registrations — Democrat or otherwise.
“I think it’s so important that students are involved or registering and voting,” Derby said. “There’s so much at stake in the 2008 election ... and I’m so excited that so many students — so many young people — are engaged and attending these rallies. It’s a new day because for decades the youth have not really been engaged.”
Derby said she’s heard the concerns of young adults, who say they are worried about their future job outlook and how the country will be run.
“Clearly we’re in a crisis and it’s gotten their ears,” Derby said. “They’re worried the country hasn’t been run well and they want to have a say in it. This is what makes democracy work and democracy will be all the better having young people registering and voting.”
Neal Morgan, the UNR field organizer who has been responsible for planning events like UNR’s recent voter registration campaigns, called the help of about 30 participating volunteers “really inspiring.”
“Students want change,” he said. “This is the most important election of their lifetimes. ... These students need a president who has vision and a sincere interest in making college affordable. They need a president who understands what it’s like to be a student in an increasingly globalized world.”
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