Bowdoin students flocked to the polls earlier this week to vote on Question 1?an issue that has dominated Maine politics for the past month. The referendum, which would have repealed a law passed earlier in the year by the Maine Legislature prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, failed in Tuesday's election.
Throughout the day, hundreds of students were transported in student-operated College vans to and from polling places. Many registered that day just to vote on what they deemed an important issue.
"This is my first time voting," said Jackie Li '09. "But it's a very important issue. It's really close. Every vote does count."
The Bowdoin College Democrats have been campaigning for a "No" vote on Question 1 since the beginning of the academic year. College Democrats Co-President Frank Chi '07 said, "It's a moral issue, not letting discrimination be put back on the books."
In an effort to flush out all students willing to vote on the subject, the Bowdoin Democrats launched an extensive last minute campaign lasting until polls closed on Tuesday evening.
"We called the dorm rooms...we knocked on dorm rooms. Once we got them here, we vanned them out," said College Democrats Programs Co-Chair Anya Trundy '06, one of the many volunteers at Moulton Union on Election Day.
While some students were inspired to vote because of the Democrats' efforts, others were put off by the aggressiveness of the campaign.
"They've called the room four times since I've gotten back from class," Carlos West '09 said. "That still doesn't change the fact that I'm not voting."
West was not the only student who decided to abstain from voting in the recent election. Some students simply did not feel the need to get involved in Maine state legislation.
"I feel it's an important issue," Nick Peddle '09 said, "but I'm not going to change my registration just to vote on one issue. I wouldn't have voted on anything else."
Questions 2 through 6 asked voters whether Maine should borrow money in the form of bonds to fund a variety of projects including bridge and highway improvements, agricultural assistance, economic stimulus, land conservation, and support for the public university system. Question 7 was a constitutional amendment that would allow the Legislature to assess working waterfront property based on its current usage.
Voters approved Questions 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7. A final call of Question 6?which would borrow money for university improvements?was unavailable at press time. Without including Question 6, the bond improvements from all other questions amounted to $74 million.
Even though most student groups focused their campaign efforts on Question 1, the Bowdoin College Democrats still urged students to vote on the other issues at hand.
"We're encouraging all students to vote 'No' on 1 and 'Yes' on everything else," volunteer Brandon Mazer '08 said. While many students admitted that Question 1 was most important to them, many still felt prepared to make an informed vote on the other issues.
"I voted on all of them," Margaret Munford '07 said. "I was here this summer, so I feel slightly informed."
Other students, however, were more hesitant about voting on the other issues.
"If I know enough about the issue, I vote," Kari Twaite '06 said. "I feel bad getting involved in something that doesn't directly affect my life."
After the results came in, Chi stated, "We've achieved a great amount of success...the Bowdoin students and the citizens of Maine were convinced that this was an issue we needed to tackle."
President of the Bowdoin College Republicans Alex Linhart '06 felt differently about the matter.
"We're very disappointed; we think Maine is making a mistake...regulation depresses economic growth, and that's not what we want."
The Coalition for Marriage, backed by other Question 1 supporters, said it will now focus their efforts on the passage of a state constitutional amendment to prohibit gay marriage in Maine, according to the Associated Press.