Cool Links National Project Democracy Site Pictures

SLPD is a non-partisan campus organization devoted to increasing young voter participation and political awareness. We are part of the larger Project Democracy movement sweeping the country in an effort to inspire and activate the young vote. The students of SLPD actively register voters both on campus and in the surrounding area. We also distribute surveys that collect voters’ opinions on which issues are most important to them in the national election. Finally, we work to increase awareness among young voters about the candidates and the issues that matter to us.

SLPD was started in response to the historically low youth vote and the opportunity for change that young voters present. Members of SLPD feel that the political discourse and decisions made in America too often ignore the needs of future generations. We hope to pull attention towards young voters by making them a politically important demographic. The first step towards reaching this goal is to raise voter registration and turnout.

Beginning in the spring of 2004, SLPD has registered voters and distributed surveys in high traffic areas of campus as well as at major campus events. SLPD participated in the Earth Day celebration by circulating petitions and organizing a letter writing drive to raise awareness about mercury poisoning in our airways and waterways. This participation in the political process empowers young voters. At Spring WILD, we hosted a popular games / registration / awareness table. We have also teamed with Project Awareness, a campus group that distributes news articles and tries to raise students’ awareness of current issues. In addition, we are forming partnerships with other voter mobilization groups and the group Kids Voting Missouri.

Our ultimate goal at SLPD is to make candidates aware of the importance of the youth vote and to help young people identify their important role in the political process and value civic involvement.

Post Election

Currently, SLPD’s focus is on the November election, and registering and educating as many voters as possible. After November 2, we will work towards voting reform and voters’ rights. We want to ensure that every citizen who is eligible can vote and will vote, and that his/her vote will be counted. We also encourage participation in the political process, so that citizens recognize their right and responsibility to become activists for whichever causes they choose. We recognize that a healthy democracy depends on much more than voting once every four years or even during every possible national and local election. Democracy depends on the input of the citizens for whom the government works.