The 2006 mid-term election for the Tennessee Senate was extremely competitive. Both Bob Corker (R) and Harold Ford, Jr., (D) raised huge sums of money in an attempt to gain the upper hand in such a tight race. Bob Corker, who ended up raising more money, eventually won. To raise awareness about money in politics, Democracy Matters at
With the fall semester closing and finals week near, our group had to make the most of our time. My Staff Link Daryn Cambridge and I discussed various strategies to get as many signatures as possible in as little time. Although it would have been nice to go around as an entire group and get signatures, we though there would be a lot of dead weight and only one or two people doing the talking. Instead Daryn suggested each member take a half hour after lunch or dinner during the week and go around the cafeteria gathering signatures. We thought this strategy would be most effective since everyone was on different finals schedules, our members had to eat sometime during the day, and the cafeteria was a gathering place for hundreds of potential signers.
Although I think we picked the best strategy, our group hit some bumps along the road. Some members understandably put finals before the petition drive, gathering few or no signatures at all. Also since members were on their own, some put it off to the last minute, gathering only a small amount. A particularly successful group of three gathered over sixty signatures just going around to dorm rooms that had their doors open. They said they were so successful because they had a couple people to socialize with, which made the tedious work more enjoyable. I made an announcement about the petition in my American Government class and also carried the petition around in my backpack throughout the week.
When the semester ended, we had about ninety signatures. After a relaxing winter break, we resumed our petition drive, striving for that 250 signature mark. At the first meeting back, however, only about five members showed up. I think everyone was busy getting settled in and preparing for the semester ahead. Also, Vanderbilt has a huge Greek scene and rush week was in full force. I tried to take advantage of this busy week by passing the petition around at a meeting for my fraternity. My roommate and I also went around the cafeteria once more. Ultimately, however, we fell short of the 250 mark by about 110 signatures. Considering the circumstances, maybe 250 signatures was out of reach, but it is better to challenge yourself and fail than to have an easy goal and succeed. Hopefully, Senator Corker will write back, possible starting a continuous dialogue with Democracy Matters. If not, 140 more people know about Democracy Matters and Clean Elections.
Tom Byrne
Democracy Matters Campus Coordinator
