With Feb. 5, "Super Tuesday," fast-approaching, politically minded Geneseo students are preparing for the important day when 24 states, including New York, will pick the candidates for the presidential election.
Student organization Think Globally Vote Locally is working to get students registered, to the polls, and involved on Super Tuesday. According to member Fiona Murray, a junior, the group will man a table on Feb. 5 from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. either in front of the library or in the College Union.
Additionally, the Political Affairs Club and political science department Chair Dr. Jeffrey Koch will hold an event on Super Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. in Newton 203 to discuss the significance of the day and to analyze the results as they come in.
Niagara Hall Resident Assistants Michelle Esposito, a sophomore, and Dan Meehan, a senior, organized the event.
"I wanted to get people excited," Esposito said. "This is something bigger than just the local elections."
"Voting is very easy and it's important to understand that if collectively we vote in the primary and the general elections things can only get better," Murray added. "We have the time and the energy to make a difference."
Contenders in the Democratic Party include Sen. Barack Obama from Illinois, who had victories in both Iowa and South Carolina, and former first lady and current Sen. Hillary Clinton from New York, who won in Nevada, Michigan and New Hampshire. Former Sen. John Edwards from North Carolina dropped out of the race on Wednesday.
In the Republican race, Arizona Sen. John McCain, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney are all contenders, but Romney and McCain are the strongest in the standings thus far. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani also dropped out of the race on Wednesday. According to an article in Monday's Democrat and Chronicle, a USA Today/Gallup Poll showed that New Yorkers strongly favored McCain, who was once considered out of the race, by 42 percent, to Romney's 14 percent and Huckabee's 8 percent. Clinton, with 48 percent, showed a very strong lead over Obama, who had 32 percent.
Jan. 29 was the last day to apply for an absentee ballot application for those not registered in Geneseo. The ballots must be postmarked no later than Feb. 4. Only students who are registered with a political party will be able to vote in the primary.
On-campus residents living on Northside can vote at the Interfaith Center and residents on Southside can vote at the Methodist Church on Route 63. There will be a shuttle from the Union to both of those polling stations. Students unsure of where they can vote should stop by the TGVL table outside the library during the day. The polls open at noon and close at 9 pm.