Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
With the election less than a week away and students engaged in a wide array of both partisan and non-partisan election activities, the Gazette today concludes a series examining party-based political action at Swat. Check out the Gazette archives online at http://daily.swarthmore.edu, for the first and second installments of the series on Wednesday and Thursday.
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Part 3: College Democrats
Eva Barboni ’06, president of Swarthmore’s College Democrats, is a busy person. This reporter caught up with her yesterday, after the Howard Dean event which she was largely involved in coordinating, and shortly before she rushed off to do ‘visibility’ (i.e., standing on public street corners with Kerry signs). As she spoke about the College Democrats and all the events they are involved in this semester, it became clear that Barboni’s demanding schedule is indicative of the bustling activity of the club as a whole in the weeks leading up to the election.
“Howard Dean was our big event,” Barboni said, but it is definitely not the only event the College Democrats have been responsible for lately. The club also brought Paul Scoles, the Democratic Congressional candidate for Swarthmore’s district, to speak last month, and was responsible for coordinating tickets for students who wanted to attend the recent John Edwards and Bill Clinton rallies in Haverford and Philadelphia. The College Democrats have also been active off campus, working in association with the Democratic Party of Delaware County on canvassing, visibility, and phone banking.
There are about fifteen dedicated members in the College Democrats, though Barboni said that they have a huge number of subscribers to their email list. “We’ve gotten a lot of support,” she added. “Even if they’re not supporting us directly, they’re involved with groups [dedicated to getting out the vote] like ACT, SVRC, and MoveOn.” The College Democrats are a member organization of SVRC (Swarthmore Voter Registration Coalition), and so will be involved with that group’s many activities on Election Day. “Monday and Tuesday are going to be very busy for us,” Barboni said. The College Democrats will also be putting door hangers on students’ doors with information about voting and the polls.
Swarthmore’s College Democrats are affiliated with national associations of both the Young Democrats and the College Democrats, both “good resources for information,” Barboni said.
Anyone who wants to know more about the College Democrats should email Eva Barboni at ebarbon1.
