Students gathered in the HUB on the eve of Election Day to celebrate the right to vote Nov. 4 A. Beginning at 7 p.m. students joined in the festivities put on by PACE and the Student Senate.
The events started off with political Saturday Night Live skits poking fun at Sarah Palin. The most popular skit was of an interview between Palin and Katie Couric, played by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
Along with the Saturday Night Live skits, a “Don’t Vote” ad with many famous actors was shown. This ad uses reverse psychology to highlight the benefits of voting, and can be found on Youtube.com by searching “Don’t Vote.” Jonah Hill of “Superbad” left the audience in stitches as he says, “I’ve never fought a war on drugs. I’ve never done [explicative] on drugs besides play Halo 2”.
It was comic relief mixed with the seriousness of the importance of voting which resonated with the audience and made the ad associate with viewers.
At 8 p.m., the HUB Courtroom opened up and students enjoyed a live band, as well as an inflatable obstacle course and free food. Members of the Student Senate also ran a table to answer questions about voting for the following day.
An artist was present and drawing caricatures for students. There was also a station set up for tie-dye, where many students tie-dyed the free shirts that were being handed out at the start of the event. Pictures with the Panther mascot were available as well as tricycles students fully utilized as they sped across the courtroom.
“Rock the vote was sweet, there was so much to do,” said Emma Beseda, a sophomore. “My favorite things were the free T-shirts and the live band,” she added. Beseda is a member of the Social Work Club, which made a banner for the event encouraging students to vote for issues that matter to them.
“This is a good way to bring everyone together before voting,” said Nicole Petrin, a First year student. An event like Rock the Vote highlights not only the importance of voting for a specific candidate but exercising one’s right to be heard.
“Rock the vote is a National campaign,” said Ezra Dalton, Treasurer of the Student Senate. Rock the Vote started nearly twenty years ago, according to Rockthevote.com. Artists like Madonna and Snoop Dogg have supported the organization in its years of existence. The interactive website features videos people have posted about voting as well as a way to locate polls by typing in an address.
Rock the Vote got many students involved in celebrating their right to vote, many of which who will have voted for the first time Tues., Nov. 4. For more information about the national campaign and how to get involved, visit Rockthevote.com.