Getting out the Vote in Pennsylvania

With about a week left until the Pennsylvania primary, the focus shifts to voter turnout.

The Keystone State will be a tough one for the Obama campaign and their hopes rely mainly on registering overs and getting out the vote. They completed a successful voter registration drive, so now the task is getting Obama supporters to the polls.

Young people could end up playing the vital role.

Check out the YouTube video of the University of Pittsburgh student forum. Representatives of Students for Obama answered policy question at the forum coordinated by the University of Pittsburgh College Democrats.

Student Rewind: All Across the Map

From barackobama.com:

Student Rewind: All Across the Map

by Alex DeGolia, Monday, April 07, 2008 at 10:31 AM

Barack in front of a huge crowd at the University of Montana in Missoula

Pennsylvania Students Gear Up for April 22nd Primary
By Luke Messac

With almost 700,000 college students across Pennsylvania, the youth vote will be a key factor in the April 22nd Democratic primary. On over 70 college campuses around the state, SFBO chapters are turning heads and winning new supporters. Mia Prensky, a 21-year-old at Bryn Mawr College, talked to SFBO members as they handed out stickers and information about Senator Obama's position on Iraq. Finding herself in agreement with Obama on the war — a central issue for her in this election — Prensky told the Associated Press that he would have her vote.

Mia is not alone, as students from across the nation see Obama as the candidate most attuned to their hopes and concerns. A recent poll conducted by Gallup and the Chronicle of Higher Education shows that when asked which candidate would do more to help families deal with rising college tuition costs, more Americans between the ages of 18 and 22 chose Obama than Clinton and McCain combined. Barack Obama's attention to young people is one of the reasons why he has won the student vote by overwhelming margins in this year's primaries and caucuses. As Scott Keeter, director of survey research for the Pew Research Center, observes, "I cannot recall another candidate in the past couple of decades that had such consistent support from young people."

Dave Matthews in Bloomington, IN

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds played an acoustic set in front of a crowd of 13,500 at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN to promote voter registration and support for Senator Obama. To read Dave Matthews’ endorsement posted on his website, click here. Asked by Rolling Stone why he is supporting Senator Obama, Matthews responded, “It’s a quality he has that seems to elevate the people around him… the most important qualification a candidate can possess is being able to inspire people to want to do things for their country.” For a more in-depth look at why he is supporting Senator Obama, read the entire Rolling Stone interview here.

In Other News…

Senator Obama enjoyed an enormous crowd at the University of Montana in Missoula on Saturday. Paul Donaldson, who works at the University of Montana in Missoula setting up sound and stage at the Adams Center, says that he’s never seen anything like what happened two days ago. Students began lining up for the event at midnight even though Barack wouldn’t be there until 10 p.m. Donaldson said, “This is history.” To read the entire story in the Great Falls Tribune, click here.

Barack wins a mock Democratic Convention at St. Francis University in Loretto, PA, with 60 percent of the vote. Read more here.

Teens are fired up in Lancaster County, PA.