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UW-Eau Claire Student Senate Encourages Students to Pre-Register for Election

RELEASED: Sept. 30, 2008

EAU CLAIRE — University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's Student Senate is encouraging students to register in advance of the Nov. 4 presidential election, an effort that will help reduce the time students will have to wait in line to vote on Election Day.

Students can pre-register between now and Oct. 15, said Paige Overby, a Student Senate representative who is helping to organize the campus' "Get Out and Vote" campaign.

"UW-Eau Claire students tend to be very active in presidential elections," Overby said. "In 2004, students waited in line for hours to register and then vote. If we can get people to pre-register, we can hopefully greatly reduce the time students have to wait in line on campus and in wards neighboring the university."

Students will have multiple opportunities to register on campus prior to Oct. 15, said Amber Bretl, another Student Senate representative involved in the effort. A number of volunteers have been deputized in recent weeks, making them eligible to help register student voters, she said.

"To pre-register, students only need to have their driver's license with them," Bretl said. "There will be many opportunities all over campus to pre-register so I'm encouraging students to bring their license with them every day so they can easily register when they have the chance."

Students can register during the following times at the following locations:

• Central Campus Mall
  10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30
  10 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1
• Hilltop Center
  3 p.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30
  3 p.m.-7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1
• Residence halls
  5 p.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30, Oak Ridge lobby (upper campus)
  5 p.m.-7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, Putnam Hall lobby (lower campus)
  5 p.m.-7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 6, Sutherland Hall lobby (upper campus)
  5 p.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, Towers Hall lobby (upper campus)
  5 p.m.-7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, Murray Hall lobby (upper campus)
  5 p.m.-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, Bridgman Hall lobby (upper campus)

Additional registration times will be added as students continue to line up volunteers, Bretl said. Students who don't register to vote before Oct. 15 can still register the day of the election, she said.

The Student Senate's "Get Out and Vote" campaign is a non-partisan effort to encourage students to vote, said Bretl.

"Other student groups on campus are also encouraging student participation but they include partisan messages," Bretl said. "The Student Senate thinks it's important that students get important voter information that doesn't include those partisan messages. Our priority is to get students to the polls regardless of who they vote for Nov. 4."

For more information about the "Get Out and Vote" Student Senate effort, contact Paige Overby at overbype@uwec.edu or Amber Bretl at bretlac@uwec.edu.

Information about voting sites in the City of Eau Claire is available online.

-30-

JB

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