With a month remaining until Election Day, students are gearing up with the non-partisan "Get Out the Vote" (GOTV) campaign vigorously working to register members of the Bowdoin community to vote.
The Office of Residential Life has been providing voter registration cards for about a week and a half. Shamir Rivera '10, who works at the office, said the service has been popular.
"The other day I worked here for four hours and four or five people came by to register," Rivera said. "Kids come here just to ask questions."
The Bowdoin College Democrats and the Bowdoin College Republicans both cited getting people to vote as a priority.
Registering to vote can sometimes prove to be complicated. Because the campus is divided into a number of different districts, even students who have previously registered often have to change their registration when they move to new dorms.
However, campus groups are working not only to register students but to educate them about the issues.
At the beginning of the semester, the Bowdoin College Democrats merged with Students for Obama, another group on campus, which was formed "specifically to get Obama to be the Democratic nominee," said former Bowdoin Chapter Coordinator Zach Winters '11.
According to Claire Cooper '09, co-president of the Democrats, the larger group hopes to "foster dialogue and education about the issues which are most important to our party, [paying] special attention to local Maine politics...and current events."
The Democrats have used music to aid their cause. After the first week of classes, they hosted a kickoff concert with the Bowdoin Women's Association. The concert featured music from two student bands as well as tables of literature about candidates at all levels of government, "all the way up to Obama," said Cooper.
A concert co-sponsored by another politically-inclined student organization, the Young Democratic Socialists, along with Baxter House, is to be held at Baxter tonight.
Event organizer Sarah Pritzker '11 said that she had "initially wanted to make the event a joint event for the College Dems and Republicans but neither group was interested in participating."
Pritzker identified herself as "definitely a big Obama supporter" but one who feels her first duty is to get everybody voting "so that each election accurately reflects the beliefs and needs of the people."
Because of the crowded and chaotic conditions at the caucuses in February, Cooper and the Democrats are encouraging early voting, which will be available on October 24.
"Early voting is currently encouraged because of the anticipated high volume of people going to the polls, and to ensure that those who may not be able to make it to the polls on Election Day can still cast their vote," said Cooper.
The Bowdoin College Republicans have volunteered to help with McCain's campaign through phone banks. Co-president Jeffrey Jeng '09 also said that the group will do "some door-to-door stuff" in the near future. The group plans go to local houses to encourage voting.
"There are a lot of special things about this election," said Jeng. "Whoever wins it's going to be a first for something: either the first woman vice president or the first African American."
Both Jeng and fellow Republican J.B. Dill '11 mentioned that there is a small but dedicated group of students who are heavily active for the Republican cause. The rest are not canvassing every weekend, but "care about what is going on," said Jeng.
Though Dill is not a member of Bowdoin College Republicans, he has held a longstanding interest in conservative politics. Earlier this year he posted a large McCain '08 banner outside of his dorm room window, a room which he shares with his Republican roommate Jeff Fanning '11.
"People really didn't like it," Dill said. "But to me that's a way of opening up dialogue, of discussing it."
After much discussion with housemates and Residential Life, Dill moved the banner inside.
Dill spoke of a double standard on campus.
"I don't think I would have been forced to move the McCain poster if it had been an Obama poster," he said.
Cooper, on the other hand, claims that "controversy has dropped off recently." She said that although there is a "standard of liberalism" on campus, she does not see it being challenged.
Jeng, citing the importance of this election, highlighted the need to consider the issues rather than just voting along party lines as per usual.
"I think people should just consider more carefully who they vote for," he said.