A Pendulum Special Edition
Elon Choice 2008 ELON, NORTH CAROLINA
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2008
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WWW.ELON.EDU/PENDULUM
B SECTION
WHY YOUR VOTE COUNTS GETTING TO THE POLLS If you are registered to vote in North Carolina and plan to vote on Election Day: The National Campaign will drive students who live north of Haggard Avenue (Greek courts, Colonnades, North Area and Danieley) to their polling location at Peoples Memorial Christian Church every half hour, starting at 10:30 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m. The shuttle will depart from Boney Fountain. Students who live south of Haggard Avenue can walk to their polling location at Elon Fire Station.
If you are not registered in North Carolina but want to vote here: One-Stop Voting, where residents can register and vote at the same time, continues until Nov. 1 at May Memorial Library at 342 S. Spring St. in Burlington. Out-ofstate students will need to print out a proof of residence from OnTrack or bring a current utility bill that includes their names and addresses.
Presidential and state races too close to call Alyse Knorr Design Editor North Carolina: A southern state with a large military population, a state that’s voted red in every presidential election since 1976, a state that Republicans have generally considered a given, is now either party’s for the taking. This election, North Carolina is a battleground state for the first time in more than 30 years. In the final week before the election, Republicans and Democrats are locked in a fierce battle for the state’s 15 electoral votes. The last Democratic presidential candidate to win North Carolina was Jimmy Carter in 1976, but recent polls have revealed consistently close margins between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain. According to a midOctober Public Policy Poll, Obama leads McCain 51 to 44 percent, his largest lead yet. “If Obama wins, it’s a huge upset,” said Mike Cobb, associate professor of political science at North Carolina State University. “I don’t think they’re counting on it. I don’t think they’re expecting it. I think what in part is happening is that they are forcing McCain to spend time and resources in states where he otherwise wasn’t
expecting to do so.” Obama operates 50 campaign offices in North Carolina, according to his campaign Web site. McCain’s Web site says there are 35 campaign offices in the state. Obama is also spending more money in North Carolina than McCain, according to a University of Wisconsin study found that for the week spanning Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, Obama’s campaign spent $1.23 million on political ads in the state while McCain’s campaign spent $148,000. North Carolina Republican Party spokesman Brent Woodcox said the party is not taking North Carolina for granted. Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin visited North Carolina three times in three weeks, her most recent visit a trip to Asheville on Sunday and McCain held a rally in Fayetteville Tuesday. Outside groups have donated more than $20 million to North Carolina campaigns, the Raleigh News & Observer reported. At the Senate level, Democratic challenger Kay
ELECTIONS | PAGE 2
INSIDE & ONLINE A last look at the candidates on the issues PAGES B4,B5
For continuous coverage of Election 2008 visit: www.elon.edu/pendulum
State and Local Elections: who's on the ballot PAGE B7
Rules of Distraction: The issues-aside headlines PAGE B6 Photos by MCT Campus
Students turned away from the polls for insufficient documentation New OnTrack print-out solves voting problem Olivia Hubert-Allen Editor-in-Chief For weeks the message has been clear: Get out and vote. Everyone from the presidential campaigns to Burger King is running ads encouraging voter turnout. But for some Elon students, voting has been more about overcoming obstacles than simply showing up at the polls. Last week, a group of students went to downtown Burlington to take
part in One-Stop Voting at the May Memorial Library. National Campaign President Daniel Harwell had come to an agreement with the North Carolina Board of Elections that a housing assignment print-out from OnTrack would be accepted as proof of residence for students without a North Carolia driver's license. At first students weren’t having any trouble at the One-Stop Voting location, but on Tuesday they were turned away. “Essentially poll workers were making executive decisions,” said Taylor Foshee who drove carloads of students to the polls last week. She says there was a breakdown in
communication between the Board of Elections and the poll workers. Dean of Students Smith Jackson, called the Board of Elections Oct. 16 and learned that Elon’s OnTrack printout which included only the room assignment and date was considered too easy to replicate. The Board of Elections sent Jackson an example of the form that is accepted from UNCCharlotte students. “Our information-technology people revised what could be accessed from OnTrack. So now [when students print it out], it has the logo of Elon and it shows the person's name, room assignment, campus box and mailing
address,” Jackson said. But on Friday, students went to vote and were initially told that the new form wasn’t going to work either. The decision was quickly reversed and students were able to cast their ballots. Some students left the polling place before the issues were resolved, Foshee said. “It’s been very difficult for students who haven’t registered to vote or taken the time to get an absentee ballot yet,” Harwell said. Harwell and Jackson say that everything should be straightened out now and student voting can continue as planned.