Issue date: 9/18/08 Section: News

As part of the student registration drive, "Rock the Vote" Eric Wilber, student government member, helps Lindsay Woods, Junior therapeutic recreation major, register on Wednesday. The drive's main purpose is "to make sure that everyone who wants to vote can get involved and registered," according to Wilber. (Kristin Menas/The Daily Eastern News)

Rock the Vote got 305 people registered to vote Wednesday.

The booth in the Martin Luther King, Jr. University Union near the Food Court got 85 students registered and booth in the Library Quad got 220 students registered.

Joseph Cromwell, a sophomore political science major, said he was already registered at home, but thought it would be a good idea to register a change of address here so he would not have to go all the way back home to vote.

He will be voting for John McCain and thinks it is a good idea for college students to get out there and vote.

"I think it is only a good idea if you are informed, though," he said.

Robin Auguste, a junior business management major, said he was voting because the presidential election is the most important election there is.

"It is important to voice your opinions and this is one of the few times people will care what you have to say," he said. "I vote for other elections as well, though, and have voted for mostly everything so far this year."

Auguste is going to be voting for Barack Obama.

Katie Jones, a first year gerontology graduate student, said she believes it is important for college age students, to be involved in government. She is going to vote for McCain.

At the booth in the quad, there were pink stickers shaped like stars that said "Are You Registered to Vote, I Am" and pens were provided at the booth and the Union table if students did not have them.

Even though many students believe voting is important, a lot of students chose not to register.

Chris Kromphardt, senior political science major and president of the EIU Democrats, said one student said to him that he did not want to vote because he did not know anything.

"I told him that I respected his honesty," Kromphardt said. "We've had a pretty good turnout (in the Union) though, and we've had a lot of forms filled out so far."

Eric Wilber, student executive vice president, also said the turnout was good.

"The quad definitely had the most people because it was out in the open and the Union table did well," Wilber said. "We didn't have enough volunteers for the table we were going to set up in Coleman Hall from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. so we just stuck to the other two places."

Wilber said the times that the table in the Union and the booth in the quad got the most attention was when the majority of students were going to and from class.

"We were always swamped during those times," he said.

There were two forms available: a yellow one, which deputy registrars filled out, and a white one that the students could. The white ones were the only ones used, though.

"Students did not have their IDs for the first forms, so most will have to bring them to the polls," Wilber said. "We would have liked to use them but it just didn't work out that way."

Wilber said it is important for students to vote in other elections, too.

"It's actually more important to vote at local elections, which take place in the spring, because it hits closer to home for students," he said. "The presidential election is important, but not as much as the local ones in relation to students."

Heather Holm can be reached at 581-7942 or at haholm@eiu.edu.

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