I would like to thank everyone who came tonight. Our new officers are as follows:
External Vice President -- John Lloyd
Internal Vice President -- Dadley Cordero
Political Communications Director -- Ben Gurga, assisted by Spencer Shambaugh
We did not have anyone run for Treasurer so if someone is interested in that we can vote on that position next meeting. We will be meeting in two weeks again on Monday, only from now on the meetings will be at 8:00. So I will see everyone in two weeks!
-Sean Miller
Next Meeting:Monday, Jan. 29th @ 7pm3rd Floor, Ross CommonsAccording to the responses I got, it seems that Monday is a better day for everyone. So from now on we will be meeting on Mondays. If you have not had time to respond to my last email but would like to run for a position in the organization it is not too late! We will be holding elections this Monday, January 29th, on the Third Floor of Ross Commons at 7:00. So even if you are not interested in running for a position I ask that everyone please show up to this meeting, we need your votes! For those who did not make the last meeting we will go over our goals for the year again as well. If you are running for a position but can not make the meeting on Monday, I ask that you respond to this email with a little summary of what position you want and how you feel you can be successful at that position, as well as any ideas you may have for the future.
So again I hope to see everyone at the meeting on Monday, especially those of you who are running for a position! Thanks guys!
-Sean Miller
Hey guys,
I want to thank everyone who came to the meeting last week. We were able to begin plans to produce t-shirts and buttons for the Drexel Democrats, so hopefully we will all be wearing cool buttons and shirts around campus very soon! Since many people did not make the meeting I first want to see if moving the meeting to Monday would be a better day. If you have wanted to attend meetings but cannot because of the day please email me. If we get a large enough demand we may shift days to Monday or another better day.
Most important what we have decided to do for elections is have those interested in positions respond to this email. We will then plan a date and hold a special election meeting. Below you can find a description of what each position entails according to our constitution. So read the positions below and if you are interested in any of them let me know.
The responsibilities of the officers are:
- The President calls meetings, sets the agenda, communicates with local media, and sets the general goals for College Democrats for the year.
- The Internal Vice President is responsible for overseeing and maintaining the infrastructure of the organization. This officer administers meetings in the President's absence, forms and oversees any internal committees and stays in touch with other internal officers and chairs to see that they are meeting their goals. Similarly, the Internal Vice President is responsible for all internal correspondence of the organization. ( In general the Internal VP will work with the President to organize things around Drexel and all the things that need to be done to organize events with Drexel)
- The External Vice President oversees all external outlets of the Drexel Democrats. Thus, this officer keeps contact with and communicates with local democrat and grassroots organizations, assists in planning events, organizes election efforts, and is responsible for the formation of any external committees. (The External VP will focus more on working with the other organizations and groups that are always looking to work with us. They will help keep track of all the groups we affiliate with so that when we have an event we can easily work with these other groups)
- The Treasurer manages the organization's finances, supervises fundraising activities and attends Drexel SOOT/SAFAC meetings. In short, the treasurer is responsible for providing and allocating the monetary funds needed to meet the organization's internal and external goals.
- The Political Communications Director is responsible for external correspondence of the organization, including writing press releases, maintaining the organizations weblog, communicating with the media in the president's absence, and assists in the creation of dialogue with Drexel students and its community. (This position will work more with the External VP and it would be ideal if the person who held this position begin having articles in the Triangle as often as possible)
So thanks everyone, let me know if you have any interest the positions or input into how things are being run. We would love ideas. Thanks and look out for another email about the elections and next meeting soon!
-Sean Miller
Next Meeting:
Thursday, Jan. 18th @ 7pm
3rd Floor, Ross Commons
I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year. I just want to let everyone know that our first meeting is next Thursday January 18th at 7:00 PM on the third floor of Ross Commons like always. This is an extremely important meeting we will be holding elections for the new year, talking about our goals for the year, and just getting everything going again. We had a great term in the fall and I can't wait to get things going again. I hope to see everyone there and bring all your friends!! We will have pizza and soda to eat while we are doing elections.
-Sean Miller
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It can be exciting to vote in your first presidential election, but it can also be confusing or intimidating. We, the Drexel Democrats, are committed to providing you all the information that you need to know to cast your vote.
Registering to VoteIn PA, students may register to vote at either their home (ie parents) address, or at their school address.
- School residence: Either your dorm room or apartment.
- Home Residence: Your parents house. If you are already registered here, you can vote either by going home on election day, or with an absentee ballot. More on absentee ballots later.
The deadline for voter registration is 30 days before any election. That means that the last day to register to vote is March 24th 2008 for the primary, and October 6th 2008 for the general election.
How do I register to vote? You can register to vote either in person or by mail.
- In Person: Go to the Philadelphia County voter registration commission office at 520 N. Delaware Ave. 5th Fl.
Philadelphia, PA 19123-4295 (215) 686-1500
- By Mail: You can obtain a voter registration form from 1) SRC office at drexel, 2) print one at home from http://www.votespa.com/, or 3) from the Drexel Democrats.
If you need to register to vote, the easiest way is to email us and we will arrange to meet you, show you how to fill out the form, and mail it in for you. We run a full service establishment. We also hold voter registration drives on campus.
What information do I need to register to vote?In addition to the basics (name, age, citizenship), you will need to know the following to register to vote.
- PA drivers license number (or, failing that, the last four digits of your social security number)
- Address at which you wish to register. This cannot be a PO box.
That's it. Pretty easy.
Where do I vote?Showing up to vote is a pretty important part of the voting process. If you don't know where your polling place is, you can find out at this nifty website. All of the Drexel dorms have the same polling place: The Community Education Center at 3500 Lancaster ave (Across from 7-11).
That's important so I'll be repetitive. If you live in Myers, Van R, North, East, Kelly, Towers, or Calhoun, you vote at the Community Education Center at 3500 Lancaster ave which is across the street from 7-11. The polls are open from 7 am to 8pm. Vote early to avoid lines.
When you vote you will need to bring ID. Valid ID includes your Drexel student ID or your drivers license (or other PENNDOT issued ID card). There are other acceptable forms of ID you can use, and there is a list in this document.
What about absentee voting?
An absentee ballot is a form that allows you to vote by mail, in advance of election day. College students are eligible to vote by absentee ballot if they are out of the district on election day. This means that if you are registered at your parents house, but do not want (or are unable) to go home to vote on election day, you may vote by absentee ballot.
To obtain an absentee ballot you can either contact the board of elections for the county in which you are registered. Alternatively, you can print out the form and mail it in. You can also always contact us and we will assist you.
The last day to request an absentee ballot is the last Tuesday before any election, which is April 15th 2008 for the primary, and October 28th 2008 for the general. It is important to note that for both the primary and the general, completed absentee ballots (that contain your votes) must be received by the last friday before the elcetion, April 18th for the primary, and October 31st for the general.
So, to summarize, there are two steps. 1) Request the ballot by mailing in the form. 2) After you receive a ballot, complete it (ie VOTE) and mail it back in so that it arrives by the last friday before the election. Please be careful to fill out the ballot correctly, or Dick Cheney will eat it and it won't be counted (allegedly).
Useful Resources
Voting Website (http://www.votespa.com/) from the PA Department of State
Student Voting Guide from the PA Department of State
Absentee Ballot information from the PA Department of State
County Information for every county in PA from the Department of State
Important Election Dates from the PA Department of State
Find your polling place from the PA Department of State
Questions?
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us through email or by leaving a comment on this post.
