College Democrats aim to register 300 new voters ahead of midterm election

The Gettysburg College Democrats hosted an event last week to discuss the upcoming 2018 elections, registering to vote, and how to be more politically active on campus. The event, according to College Democrats President, Andrew Dalton, was “extremely successful—[there was] a large audience and [the Democrats] registered quite a few students to vote.”

The main goal of this event, and future plans from the College Democrats is “to register several hundred new voters on campus.” According to Dalton, College Democrats has registered 50 voters in the last week towards their goal of 300 new voters.

The Democrats’ efforts are nonpartisan, and collaborative with Democracy Matters, a student group on campus dedicated to reducing money in politics and maximizing principles of democracy.

The campaign to get new voters registered on campus is simply to encourage students to vote on Nov. 6, and the College Democrats hope to work with other organizations before the registration deadline on Oct. 9.

The upcoming primary on November 6th is one of particular importance to the College Democrats. Dalton stated that the Dems “want to make sure that young people show up in force… and demand better from our elected officials… It’s time for Democrats to take control of Congress and take a hard look at the President’s actions and potentially criminal behavior.”

 The Republican party currently holds a 51-seat majority in the Senate, with eight Republican senators up for reelection in November and 25 Democratic Senators up for reelection. The Republican party also has control of the US House of Representatives, with 236 seats compared to the 193 Democratic seats, and six vacant seats.

Every seat in the House is up for reelection in 2018, so this is an important election for Democratic voters hoping to gain control of Congress particularly in Pennsylvania, where both Democratic governor Tom Wolf, and Democratic Senator Bob Casey, are up for reelection. This election could potentially change the shape of the US government and have a significant impact on policy in the coming years.

This coming year, the Gettysburg College Democrats hope to continue their efforts to register students to vote, but also have several other events in mind.

In the next few weeks, the Democrats will be outside Servo and at CUB tables to get students registered before the deadline. They also plan to have several speakers and events this year, including Mayor John Fetterman, Democratic Candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, for a town hall with students and community members.

In the next few weeks, they plan on hosting “a reproductive rights themed panel discussion…the panel will feature women who have been on the front lines of defending the right to choose.”

According to Dalton, the panel will serve as another opportunity to get new voters registered and “stress the…devastating impact that a Republican-controlled legislature will have on reproductive rights. It’s time to put an end to Republican leadership in Congress.”

Kate Delaney '21 is a future English and Political Science major at Gettysburg College. This article was originally published September 7, 2018 in The Gettysburgian.