This is really amazing. Offering incentives to vote is illegal in most places.

Can Falwell's University Tip Virginia To McCain?

by Barbara Bradley Hagerty

“We never told them how to vote. ... We just talked about the fact that Virginia was right on the fence and could go either way — and that they could become known as the college that elected a president if the numbers came down just right.”

Jerry Falwell Jr., chancellor of Liberty University

Morning Edition, October 6, 2008 · On Sept. 10, Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. delivered a high-minded message to the students at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. The son of the late evangelical leader spoke of the students' civic responsibility to vote. Then he made an announcement.

"We are planning to cancel classes on Election Day," he said, his voice instantly drowned out by wild cheering. "Now I know what you care about," he observed, laughing.

It's part of a grand strategy to get Liberty's 10,000 students to vote in Virginia. The university will bus students to the polls, stage an all-day concert complete with food, and lift curfew so they can watch the results on a giant-screen TV.

For the past 44 years, Virginia has been a reliably Republican state. But this year, the presidential race is a tossup. Polls put Democrat Barack Obama slightly ahead of Republican John McCain.

"We never told them how to vote," Falwell says. "We never even talked about the issues. We just talked about the fact that Virginia was right on the fence and could go either way — and that they could become known as the college that elected a president if the numbers came down just right."

New Virginia Voters

Falwell says 80 percent to 90 percent of his students are Republican. But not all are registered to vote in Virginia. So the school told dorm leaders like Kathryn Lewellyn to see to it that everyone had the proper forms.

"We had to go around that night to every room and make sure if anybody wanted to register, they could," she recalls. "Even in class the next day, for commuters, if they didn't get registration forms, the professors were handing them out."

And it worked. Junior Sarah Blanzy, for example, switched her registration from North Carolina to Virginia. The reason was simple.

"North Carolina is going to go red," she says. "I'm not really too worried about that, and I am nervous about the outcome of Virginia. I feel like my vote may be a little more important here."

Of the 15 students interviewed at the university's Jesse Helms School of Government, 13 had registered in Virginia; the other two retained their registration in their home states, because they wanted to vote on issues like same-sex marriage and sex education in public schools.

Senior Grace Woodson, who attended the Republican National Convention, says Obama's dynamism may appeal to some young people. But students at Liberty look for something else: conservative values.

"I think with McCain, he proves with his life his Christian values, and his whole life has been about sacrifice. I think that's something that us Christians see as really important."

And with Obama leading slightly in the polls, junior Chandler Smith says, no vote can be wasted. Smith switched his registration from Georgia, a safe red state, to Virginia. He notes that several recent state elections — for governor, attorney general and U.S. senator — were decided by fewer than 10,000 votes.

"Based upon the numbers, moving conservative voters ... from across the nation to a swing state like Virginia, where we are all like-minded — when we all vote the same way, it could have a significant impact on the election," Smith says.

Obama Supporters

Are there any Democrats at Liberty?

"I've seen them," says Danielle Fierro, "and I knew one, but he transferred."

Eventually, two Obama supporters are located, not through the College Democrats club — there isn't one here — but through the Obama campaign. Asked what his classmates say when they find out he's voting Democrat, Brian Diaz, a freshman from Orlando, Fla., laughs. "At first they asked me, 'Are you a Christian?' "

But Diaz and sophomore Joel Krautter believe they're making inroads. Recently, they manned an Obama table on campus, and Krautter says they were thrilled with the results.

"Oh, we had a great turnout here," he says. "We had an astounding number of people sign up for the campaign."

How many? Krautter thinks for a minute. "Like, 150."

Well, it's a start. And both men believe Virginia can go blue.

But not if the majority of Liberty students have anything to say about it.

Late Tuesday night, 50 women crowded into a large dormitory room for their weekly hall meeting of announcements. Then resident assistant Lewellyn raised the recurring topic.

"How many of you guys have registered to vote?" she asked. All but three women raised their hands.

Those last few stragglers have until the end of Monday to sign up.

Lynann:
Bribes are illegal. Incentives are a way to get people's attentions.
Paying money to someone so they can vote for who you tell them to vote for, is illegal, it is bribing, and is unamerican. Unfortunately it does happen. Registering illegal aliens to vote for the party's ticket is illegal, but also does happen.Voting twice or voting with a different person's identity is illegal, but unfortunately is happening.
Encouraging people to vote, informing people about the issues, and where the candidates stand, helpping voters to get to vote by providing transportation, registering people that are not registered and helpping them understand that their vote is important;......all are ways to help each others to know that each of us is important for our system of government to work.
Liberty University is a conservative university unlike many of our state universities. So, you should expect that they would love to see everyone voting conservative, but this is not what they tell them to do. Liberty is saying that it is important to vote, and that the stakes are high. This is a tru saying. No student is forced to vote, or to select a specific candidate. To give students a day off on election day is an incentive to say that no one has any excuse to not have time to vote. In our state, "Florida", we have early voting where anyone can vote at libraries and schools for 2 weeks prior to election, including on Saturday. In addition, anyone can vote by mail. All these are incentives, and are perfectly legal.
I hope we see the day that every adult citizen of the USA know the priviledge we have to elect those that represent us in government, and be serious enough to check where each of them stand before making the decision by voting our concious in freedom.
Thanks for the Forum.
Mike

So, the republicans up in arms about people being driven to the polls to vote in Ohio is?

"Leftist organizations are aggressively attempting to redefine America in their own Godless image."
— Reverend Jerry Falwell

"We're fighting against humanism, we're fighting against liberalism...we are fighting against all the systems of Satan that are destroying our nation today...our battle is with Satan himself."
— Reverend Jerry Falwell

The idea that religion and politics don't mix was invented by the Devil to keep Christians from running their own country.
Jerry Falwell



oh yeah...these followers of his will go to any length..no doubt.

Ain't it a shame.

The Left has a racist preacher to bless them with his nasty duckpoo.

Now the Right has responded with its own racist preacher... duckpoo and all.

Arn't we just completely blessed?

Lynann:
....is:Liberals are picking up the homeless to get them to register, so they can vote for Obama!
While it is good to help those that don't have transportation to get to vote, and while it is good to encourage those that are not participating, to go ahead and register;.....it is not good to tell those you help, who to vote for!!!!
Voting is a responsibility, it is not a beauty contest. It should not be for entertainment, and it should not be excercised by the uninformed!
Unfortunately, even the candidates are using erroneous figures, using plans, and quoting events....that we the people cannot and do not have the time to check on a regular basis.
Are Republicans up in arms for what is happening in Ohio? I do not know....I heard that this was happening last week, and that other actions will be on the increase including attorneys and Lawsuits.....just because Ohio is one of the States that can determine the election.
So is Florida!
It is a shame that in our Country winning is becomming the goal regardless of what gets us there. I think that content is more important. Lies should disqualify anyone running for public office. Misrepresenting truth is a lie.
So, what do you think about the process as it is playing this election season? Are you getting informed from different sources, or have you determined the result regardless of the issues?