Occidental College Example Campus Vote Initiative Program
Occidental College
Los Angeles, California
- Organizer(s):
- Administration (Community Service Office)
- Size:
- 1,700 students
Ted Mitchell, President of Occidental College, asked the Center for Volunteerism and Community Service (CVCS) to launch a voter registration drive on campus. The resulting initiative, “Oxy Votes,” was coordinated by two students and the CVCS. The goal of the campaign was to register at least 85% of the student body and to educate the campus about the propositions appearing on the California ballot.
Project Highlights:
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Voter Registration (Local Elections)
Occidental was one of the few schools we came across that had an organized and concerted effort to register students to vote in their local elections. Their campaign began by obtaining a list of all registered undergraduate students at the college and cross-referencing that list with the names of individuals registered to vote in LA County (the list was obtained from the LA County City Clerk’s office). Students working on the campaign then attended hallspreads, club/organization meetings, and leadership retreats to raise awareness about voter registration and ballot initiatives for March 2000 and to register students. In addition to efforts on campus, which included speak-outs on the propositions, e-mails to the entire college community, and an Oxy Votes Phone-a-thon on the day before the election, this project also made an effort to register members of the community as well. Oxy Votes’ community-based efforts included registration drives at local businesses and a door-to-door campaign, in which students, faculty, administration and the President spent a Saturday morning visiting homes in the vicinity of the campus.
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Voter Registration (November Election)
Occidental continued its registration efforts in the fall semester in order to increase student participation in the presidential election. They began by making available to students state and national voter registration forms, in addition to the LA County forms that had been available previously. They also integrated Oxy Votes into the students’ orientation program in several ways: 1) Oxy Votes was part of the one-stop-shop event where students get information about campus life; 2) Ralph Nader was the orientation speaker; 3) at the 11th Annual Into the Streets Program, where students participate in a one day community service program, students had the opportunity to register to vote during check-in. Oxy Votes also became part of the official registration process at the college. When registering students were asked whether or not they were registered and/or eligible to vote. Oxy Votes generated a master list and then went door-to-door in the residence halls contacting those were not registered and encouraging them to do so. Off-campus students were given forms in their mailboxes and an email went out to the entire campus (faculty, staff, admin. included) to inform them of the deadline to register in California and information on how to get an absentee ballot. The CVCS sent out absentee ballot applications & voter registration forms to anyone who requested one.
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Get Out the Vote Campaign
During the week leading up to the election, Oxy Votes held several events to encourage those they registered to turn out at the polls. During an event called “Got Knowledge?” student volunteers informed the campus about each of the propositions on the November 7 ballot. The “Last Call” event gave students one final opportunity to speak out on the campus quad about issues in the election. Billboards featuring information on the propositions were also placed around the quad and students were reminded to vote in the election. In addition to these events, Oxy Votes also sent weekly emails notifying the college community about the props. On Election Day, the election was publicized across campus and faculty were invited to dismiss their students a few minutes early so they could vote. From 9pm-1am, Oxy Votes hosted an Election Day Party, where students came to enjoy refreshments and watch the results of the election come in.
As a result of its registration efforts Oxy Votes reached its goal of registering 85% of the student body, in addition to those that they registered in the local community. In part because it was a program initiated by the President, it lent itself to becoming a part of the campus culture, thereby ensuring its ultimate success and making it a program that will occur throughout the year, every year.
