October 28, 2004
The Day Before: Boosting election awareness on campus
David Silver, an assistant professor of Communication, thinks something is badly missing on the UW campus in these days before the general election on Nov. 2.
“It’s possible to walk certain routes on this campus and not see that there is an election in 10 days,” Silver said with feeling in his office last week. “It’s unacceptable that the campus isn’t brimming with activity for the most important election of our time.”
To do something about it, Silver has re-teamed with colleague Sarah Washburn, formerly with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation U.S. Library Program, to turn up the level of awareness and debate on campus before the votes get cast and counted. Earlier this fall, the two organized the nationally popular movement they called The September Project, sparking discussions and activities on the theme of democracy at libraries in all 50 states and eight countries on Sept. 11.
Now they have created The Day Before, which is a nonpartisan, campuswide day of political discussion and debate on Monday, Nov. 1, the eve of the election.
“It’s really an effort to energize and ignite the campus, to let people share what they’re interested in and link it to the election,” Washburn said.
The Day Before is aimed largely at students, to remind them of the importance of the election to their lives and futures, no matter which side of the political fence they’re on. But in that effort, Silver and Washburn are reaching out to faculty and staff as well, to help make the event happen.
“We want to encourage all faculty and staff to participate by announcing this in their classes, giving talks, organizing talks and film screenings,” Silver said. “Or simply by walking to Red Square and letting their voices be heard.”
Washburn agreed, adding, “Everyone on this campus has a voice, and this is providing a forum to have those voices heard.” Asked what she’d like to see result from The Day Before, she said, “I want people on this campus to understand what is relevant to them in the political process. Students don’t feel politicians speak for them, and all sorts of issues affect them. And this gives them an opportunity to voice their concerns.”
Silver and Washburn already have lined up an impressive number of campus and community groups to support The Day Before. Student groups include the the Asian Student Commission, the ASUW Black Student Commission; ASUW Board of Directors; ASUW Gay, Bisexual, Lesbian and Transgender Commission, ASUW Office of Government Relations, Graduate and Professional Student Senate, Muslim Student Association, Panhellenic Association, and many more.
UW departments, units and and centers include the African Studies Program, Center for Woman & Democracy, Department of American Ethnic Studies, Department of Communication, Department of Geography, Division of French and Italian Studies, Division of Spanish and Portugese, Project for Critical Asian Studies, Dance Program, UW Libraries and the Walter Chapin Simpson Center for the Humanities.
Community groups supporting the event include the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington and the Seattle League of Women Voters.
Silver said, “We want to avoid the Orwellian situation where everyone is silent about the most important election of our time. And it affects no one more than college students.”
To learn more: Visit www.thedaybefore.org or e-mail info@thedaybefore.org.
