After a month of voter registration drives, Princeton Votes 2004 announced today that it has registered 1,295 new voters, equivalent to approximately one-third of the eligible voters among the undergraduate population, according to an organization press release.
Of the new voters, 1,104 registered in New Jersey, with the remaining 191 registering as absentee voters in other states.
The new registrations come on top of approximately 1,000 existing University student registrations in New Jersey, said Evan Baehr '05, president of the College Republicans and one of the P-Votes founders.
Voter registration in New Jersey for the Nov. 2 general election ended Monday.
"P-Votes' efforts really show that Princeton students aren't apathetic and unengaged in politics like many people think," said Jay Saxon '05, president of the College Democrats and another P-Votes founder. "People really care about this election and really want to get involved."
Saxon said the results were even more successful given that the University lifted its ban on partisan voter registration drives in April.
"Then [the University] went a complete 180 and has been great with giving us resources and encouragement," he said.
In the upcoming election, several times as many University students will be registered to vote in the state than in the last presidential election.
In 2000, approximately 550 University students registered in New Jersey, Baehr said. This year, over 2,000 students will be registered here.
"These numbers signal that this year is going to see a marked change in students engaging in politics," Baehr said. "In part because of P-Votes, we will also have a markedly larger turnout at the polls than most other universities will."
P-Votes is a bipartisan effort committed to promoting political participation at Princeton. The organization is cosponsored by the College Democrats and the College Republicans with support from the USG and the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students (ODUS).
The group was founded to bring campus registration and turnout efforts together under one umbrella organization.
In the past month, P-Votes has sponsored voter registration tables in every dining hall and eating club as well as in the Frist Campus Center, Baehr said.
With voter registration for the upcoming election at an end, P-Votes is now shifting its focus toward "get-out-the-vote" efforts.
The organization plans to sponsor debate parties, and the USG and ODUS will send out campus-wide informational emails prior to election day, Saxon said.
P-Votes is also organizing shuttles to take students to the polling stations, as well as preparing maps to the polls and organizing a free hoagie giveaway for all students who vote, Baehr added.
P-Votes currently has between 75 and 80 volunteers staffing its events. Saxon attributed P-Votes' success to the efforts of these students, who represent a range of political affiliations.
"Across the country, Republicans and Democrats are working against each other, but here we're working together to get out the vote," Saxon said.
"The success of this project is a symbolic victory for bipartisanship — which is something we need more of in this country."
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