The College Democrats completed non-partisan training and are the only student group qualified to register voters
Janel England
News Editor
Ohio’s status as a pivotal swing state makes it a desirable place to be registered to vote. But as the deadline for voter registration approaches on Oct. 11, there has been some confusion among The College of Wooster students about how to register to vote.
While the process of registration itself is not complicated — an eligible voter simply fills out a registration form, then mails it or delivers it in person to the board of elections — there have been complications as a result of multiple groups attempting to register students on campus. These groups include the school chartered College Democrats and an individual named Liam O’Brien, who was reportedly working for the Clinton campaign and registering students to vote. However, between these two parties, only the College Democrats have gone through the College’s mandatory process to be eligible to register students to vote.
The College’s approval of this process is important because it is the only way that the College can “assure that no one working with its permission will compromise any private information in a partisan way,” said President of the College Democrats Fritz Schoenfeld ’17. “We have been in fairly constant communication with the Dean of Student’s office, and [Associate Dean of Students Carolyn] Buxton specifically, about what exactly we can and cannot do. For instance, we may only register students to vote while tabling in Lowry; we cannot approach students, as that is considered to be solicitation.”
“The Clinton campaign, of course, is not a chartered student group. Liam O’Brien is, of course, welcome to be on the public space of the tree line on Beall,” said communication department chair Denise Bostdorff.
“Obviously, that assurance cannot apply to any groups or individuals who are operating outside of the College’s approval. As the College is a private institution with certain tax-exemptions, it must maintain a strictly non-partisan mission. Our group, as we are chartered by the College and use college resources in our collection of voter registration forms, must maintain that non-partisan mission insofar as it pertains to our efforts to register students or provide access to voting,” said Schoenfeld. “For the same reason that I am not permitted to tell people who to vote for while I’m using a college van to bring them to vote, I cannot take a voter registration form that a student gives me to submit to the Board of Elections, and instead give it to a partisan organization.”
“It’s unfortunate, but I believe that many of the issues involved could have been avoided if the [Clinton] campaign had been in close communication with campus administration about what is, and is not, permitted before they began coming to campus. This is the protocol that previous campaigns have followed as a matter of routine,” said Bostdorff.
It is against the College’s policy for non-chartered student groups to solicit students on campus for any reason. Buxton said, “Students and organizations were directed to the College policy regarding partisan political activity within The College of Wooster facilities and asked to comply with the policy. Once made aware of policy, students have been cooperative.”
One of the groups that has been barred from registering voters under this policy is the recently formed College Right-Wingers group. “We have registered zero people. We are not given the power to register people to vote because we are not recognized by the school as a group. We technically don’t exist. We had to get some strings pulled to get a table at Scot Spirit Day,” said Drake Schwenke ’17, co-founder and president of the College Right Wingers. “The charter committee is meeting this week to vote on whether or not we can become an official charter group. We are hoping in two weeks to become an official group. We think it’s fair to be represented by the school.”
Because they are unchartered, the College Right Wingers fall under the same umbrella as an outside group. “[The College Democrats] are the only group that can be held responsible for upholding the privacy of student information and the College’s non-partisan mission,” said Schoenfeld.