Drexel Votes has registered a record number of new voters, more than 2000 since September. Today, March 24th, is the last day to register to be eligible to vote in the PA primary on April 22nd; registration forms completed today can be turned in at the Board of Elections Office at 34 Spring Garden Street.

Watch for more Drexel Votes events as we count down to the crucial Pennsylvania Primary on April 22nd.

Posted by Web Editor (Kathleen Turner) at 08:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Currently 24 states, American Samoa and Democrats Abroad are scheduled to hold caucuses or primary elections on Super Tuesday, 2008. Blue denotes Democratic-only caucuses, Red denotes Republican-only state conventions, and Purple represents states holding elections for both parties. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Duper_Tuesday

“Super Tuesday” is the national primary election that marks a key turning point in the 2008 presidential campaign. On February 5th, voters in 22 diverse states from New York to California will finally have the chance to indicate which presidential candidate they support. To win the Republican presidential nomination, a candidate must nail down the votes of 1,191 delegates by the time the party’s national convention opens in St. Paul, Minnesota on September 1st. To win the Democratic presidential nomination, a candidate must have the support of 2,025 delegates by the opening of the national party convention in Denver, Colorado on August 25th. Super Tuesday matters because 52% of all pledged Democratic delegates and 41% of all pledged Republican delegates will be at stake on February 5th. Super Tuesday is the single richest prize of the primary season.

Super Tuesday has reflected different political needs and goals over the years. In 1988, Democrats in the South were upset by the party’s tendency to nominate liberal candidates from the North or Midwest who had little appeal to conservative voters in Georgia or Tennessee. The Southerners responded by organizing a regional primary designed to boost the chances of a moderate candidate. As so often happens in politics, things did not turn out as the experts expected. Three of the strongest candidates, Al Gore, Jesse Jackson and Michael Dukakis each won some of the Super Tuesday primaries and Dukakis became the Democratic nominee. In the fall general election, the Governor of Massachusetts failed to carry a single state south of West Virginia. However, this Democratic “Southern Strategy” did work in 1992, when Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton became the leading candidate for the party’s nomination by winning primary contests in several southern states on Super Tuesday.

Continue reading "Drexel Votes: Super Tuesday -- What it is and Why it Matters" »

Posted by Web Editor (Kathleen Turner) at 07:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In support of Drexel Votes 2008, Hagerty Library is providing Pennsylvania Voter Registration forms at the Circulation Desk.

If you plan to vote in the Pennsylvania Presidential Primary on April 22nd, you must be registered by March 23rd; if you're planning to vote in your home state, be sure to check for their primary date (Download file). Registration information and deadlines for each state can be found through the National Association of Secretaries of State at http://www.canivote.org/.

Visit Drexel Votes 2008 for more information about how to register and where to vote, and about upcoming Drexel Votes events.

Posted by Web Editor (Kathleen Turner) at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Center for Civic Engagement and Drexel Votes 2008 will present Commissioner Edgar Howard, one of three Philadelphia City Commissioners, discussing the significance of voting and the voting peculiarities for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on Wednesday, November 28, 2007, at 12:30 p.m. in room 302 -- the Stern Seminar Room -- of the Hagerty Library (33nd and Market Streets).

Free lunch will be served. To RSVP or for information, email cce@drexel.edu

Center for Civic Engagement: http://www.drexel.edu/cce.

Posted by Web Editor (Kathleen Turner) at 08:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)