sujinla's blog

- Sujatha Jahagirdar, Student PIRGs

Textbook prices are way out of control and professors are joining the fight to bring them down. Students spend an average of $900 a year on textbooks, which is equal to 20% of tuition at an average university and 50% of tuition at a community college. Textbook companies manipulate the market to drive prices as high as possible and students end up footing the bill.

The Student PIRGs have spent the past year organizing professors to sign the Open Textbooks Statement which is a commitment to consider using free, open source textbooks, instead of expensive, traditional textbooks. As of this week, about 2,000 professors have added their names to the statement, with more joining every day.

--Sujatha Jahagirdar, Student PIRGs

For folks who are following the stimulus package and its effects on students and the cost on education, below is a statement that USPIRG put out on college affordability provisions in the stimulus package.

"Today the U.S. House of Representatives released details of its Economic Recovery package. The proposal contains meaningful policies that help to keep college affordable and accessible during tough economic times.

The provisions that will help keep college within reach include: a $15.6 billion increase to the Pell grant program which increases the maximum grant award by $500, from $4,731 to $5,350; an increase in work study funds that provides more on-campus jobs for low and moderate income students in return for grant aid; and a partially refundable tax credit for higher education. Families and independent students can use the tax credit to offset tuition, fees, and textbook costs after taxes, and up to $1,000 of the credit is refundable.

However, the bill also includes language that increases federal student loan limits by $2,000 each year over four years. This plan comes after a similar increase of $2,000 was passed last year, and, taken together, could increase student loan debt by $10,000. These measures would be harmful for students and the economy - increasing student debt decreases the broader economic benefits of a college degree."

For more on the stimulus package and issues important to young people, check out

This Monday, the Student PIRGs submitted a host of policy recommendations to President-elect Obama’s Transition Team. Our top recommendations included:

Ensuring at least $64.2 billion in renewable energy investments in technologies such as wind and solar and in green job training that will play a crucial role in repowering America with clean, homegrown energy;

Making college more affordable by lowering the interest rate on the PLUS loan, increasing protections for students who borrow from private lenders, and working with the Department of Education to ensure full participation in a new law to disclose textbook prices to faculty; and

Protecting basic voting rights by passing legislation to implement a system of automatic and permanent voter registration that ensures students and others are registered at their current address.

Full memos submitted are posted at studentpirgs.org/transition.

Bumped. --Mike

Written by Sujatha Jahagirdar, Student PIRGs.

As the youth community begins to put together post-election plans, I thought it would be useful to send out an initial list of some of the major upcoming federal legislative opportunities that we see coming down the pike in the next few months. Young people expressed a great deal of investment in these issues during the election cycle.

Energy. President-Elect Obama is expected to make a big push for new energy investments via both an economic stimulus and stand-alone bill. This is a chance to press lawmakers to use these vehicles to set ambitious goals for renewable energy that result in 100% of America’s electricity coming from renewable sources within the next decade, while cutting oil consumption in half. This also is a chance to enact specific measures that get us towards those goals, such as pushing Detroit to reinvent itself by making the most fuel efficient cars in the world.

Healthcare. With several competing proposals already in play and more expected once President-Elect Obama is sworn in, this is our chance to press policy makers on a package of reforms that guarantee affordable health-care for both consumers and employers and ensure no one is denied coverage for pre-existing conditions. This will include measures that require greater preventative care, more purchasing pools for small businesses and consumers, and new requirements for insurers to spend at least 85% of premiums on care, not administrative costs.

Financial Security. With lots of momentum underway to fix the underlying problems in the bailout, this is a chance to ensure that taxpayer money is used to prop up assets and increase credit flow, not line the pockets of executives. This is also a chance to break the stranglehold that banks and credit card companies have on America by promoting a credit card holders’ bill of rights that bans unfair and deceptive practices that hook consumers into a downward spiral of debt.

Transportation. As part of both the economic stimulus and the stand-alone debate on the federal transportation bill expected to begin this winter, there is more political space than ever to double the public investment in public transit, and jumpstart some of the country’s most promising projects, including overhauling Amtrak into a high-speed rail system.

Voting Reform. Technology changes resulting from the passage of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) following the 2000 election make it possible to rethink how we run our elections and open the door to a registration system far more inclusive, efficient and accountable than our current system. We are considering a push to move to an automatic, permanent voter registration system. This could enfranchise millions more voters and reduce the litany of problems that currently plague the voter registration system.

Service. There are a number of proposals on the table to provide greater incentives – including a $4,000 tuition credit – for young people who devote a year of their lives to service. As when the original Peace Corps and Americorps programs were established, we expect this proposal to capture the imagination of millions of young people.

As we get specific legislative proposals around these issues, we'll send out updates on policy, political dynamics and key opportunities where the youth community could engage.

From Sujatha Jahagirdar, Program Director for the Student PIRGs' New Voters Project:

With polls closed on the east coast, a lot is still happening on campuses around the country:

Ongoing problems at the polling place at the University of South Florida drew out the Hillsborough County supervisor of elections, who showed up at the Marshall Student Center with more voting material. Since then, the line is moving twice as fast. Also, Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Earnest Graham showed up to ease the frustration of waiting in line. He walked around, having conversations with people in line and signing autographs.

At The Ohio State University polling location at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, pollworkers are reporting that 546 people have voted so far, compared to only 7 people who voted there in 2004! In addition, at Precinct 39-B 1041 students had voted by 1 p.m., compared to only 622 who voted in 2004.

At one close-to-campus precinct near Salem State College in Massachusetts, as of 7 p.m. 1200 people had voted, out of 1400 registered voters.

At one University of Maryland polling place,1440 students had voted as of 6 p.m., almost twice as many as in 2004.

Temple University students are now waiting up to four hours to vote at the 12th and Susquehanna polling location in Philadelphia, which serves three of the biggest dormitories on campus. This is just the latest voting problem that Temple students have faced today - this morning students reported that voting machines were broken at the 15th and Gerard polling place.

To help students pass the time, the Temple Student Government brought in a DJ who will stay until the polls close. When it rained on the long line of voters, PennPIRG students handed out umbrellas and ponchos.

Out west, where the polls are still open, students at Arizona State University - Tempe are facing a 90 minute wait at one poll. Volunteers have been passing out copies of The New York Times and have been having conversations with people waiting in line to help them pass the time.

At CU Boulder, Precinct #102, 607 students voted early. In contrast, 668 people total had voted for all of 2004.

From Sujatha Jahagirdar, Program Director for the Student PIRGs' New Voters Project:

Our album of Election Day photos is growing. We'll keep adding to it throughout the day, featuring photos of long lines at the polls and other highlights. Check it out here.

Turnout at campus precincts continues to look very strong:

At the University of Connecticut Storrs, ConnPIRG volunteers report a wait time of 3+ hours. Pollworkers are having students make a separate line from non-students. While the student line is moving at the 3 hour pace, the non-student line has only a 30 minute wait.

The polling places near the University of Maryland are reporting lines of 1 hour and 15 minutes.

At Iowa State University, one of the nearby student-dense precincts had 311 ballots cast as of 12 noon. In contrast, 430 people cast ballots in all of 2004.

At the University of Arizona, pollworkers report that this is the first year there has ever been a line to vote.

A pollworker at the polling place near the St. Louis Community College - Meramec in Missouri told us that she's been a pollworker for 20 years and has never seen turnout like this.

And voting problems continue to pop up:

At Cincinnati University, student Patrick Mcconville got his voter registration card from the election board. The card told him to vote at the 12-H St Monica Parish poll. When he came to vote, however, he wasn't on the rolls. Rather than taking the time to figure out why, or figure out if he is in another precinct but got the wrong card, pollworkers made him vote provisionally.

This morning, we reported that pollworkers at the University of Southern Florida precincts were refusing to allow properly registered voters who needed to change their address to cast a regular ballot. Florida PIRG organizers contacted Election Protection, who were able to resolve the problem quickly.

At Rutgers, the quick footwork of NJPIRG organizers helped one Rutgers student cast a ballot. This morning, the student wrote us an email, saying that pollworkers could not find her on the rolls, even though she was confident she was properly registered. NJPIRG organizers quickly contacted the county board of elections, confirmed the student's registration, and got instructions from the elections director to tell the student to go back and vote again. This time it worked, and another ballot was successfully cast.

From Sujatha Jahagirdar, Program Director for the Student PIRGs' New Voters Project:

Here are some more quick updates from campuses around the country.

In Arizona, restrictive registration and ID requirements flagged by the Student PIRGs in 2006 are already taking their toll on students' right to have their vote counted. State law requires the address on the voter rolls to match the student's driver's license. Students who have different addresses for each must produce two utility bills with the same address on the voter rolls or one utility bill and a special voter ID card. All of these requirements are unrealistic given students' high mobility. At one precinct near the Arizona State University-Tempe, 27 of the 80 students who cast ballots this morning we’re required to cast a provisional ballot.

Our network of pollwatchers have been checking in with pollworkers regularly to monitor turnout and flag problems. Here are a few more reports:

At a poll near Salem State College in Massachusetts, nearly four times as many people have voted today as had voted at that polling place at the same time of day in 2004.

At UMass Dartmouth's local polling place, 425 people had voted by noon, setting them on pace to easily surpass the number (865) who had voted at that same poll in 2004.

Pollworkers at Rutgers Newark estimate that turnout today is double what it was in 2004.

Pollworkers at the University of South Florida precinct report that turnout is "not even comparable to 2004 - this year there's a line, last time it was a trickle."

Pollworkers at Temple University report that turnout has far surpassed the 2004 experience. Voters have had to wait up to two hours to vote.

Pollworkers at UW Green Bay say that turnout as of 10 a.m. was double the 10 a.m. turnout in 2004.

Pollworkers at UC Berkeley report that turnout at one polling place is already five times that of the primary elections.

From Sujatha Jahagirdar, Program Director for the Student PIRGs' New Voters Project:

Some new updates from campuses across the country.

A set of legal problems have cropped up at the polls this morning:

By 7:45 this morning in Cincinnati, Ohio, four students were mistakenly turned away at the polls by pollworkers who incorrectly told them they were at the wrong polling place. Ohio PIRG organizers confirmed with the Hamilton County Board of Elections that the students had indeed arrived at the proper polling place. It is unclear if those four students were eventually able to vote.

Florida law allows registered voters to change their registration address at any polling place in the state, so long as they complete a change of address form. As of this morning, however, pollworkers near the University of South Florida have mistakenly told students they may not vote if they are registered outside of Tampa. Florida PIRG organizers have contacted Election Protection, who has dispatched their legal council to remedy the problem.

In District 41-D in the student heavy district of Columbus, Ohio, Ohio PIRG organizers report that pollworkers are telling students to complete provisional ballots without providing a reason why. In addition, we have at least one report of pollworkers telling students who arrived at the wrong polling place to complete a provisional ballot, instead of directing them to the correct polling site. This has affected at least 20 students to date. One Ohio State University student reported having been told to complete a provisional ballot, even though she correctly re-registered at her new address before the registration deadline.

Long lines continue to appear at campus polling places:

Hundreds of Ohio State University students were lined up at the polls starting at 6:30 am. Ohio PIRG volunteers kept people entertained with doughnuts and coloring books while they waited.

Temple University students in Pennsylvania faced early morning lines up to two hours long.

At Arizona State University, one precinct is reporting a one hour wait to vote.

The University of South Florida continues to face serious problems, with wait times of three to three and a half hours at one polling place.

From Sujatha Jahagirdar, Program Director for the Student PIRGs' New Voters Project:

I'll be posting updates all day from campuses about voter turnout and other breaking election news.

So far this morning, a number of campuses are seeing long lines at the polls:

Students at Indiana University lined up at 7 a.m. at their local polling place, with many waiting between an hour and an hour and 20 minutes to vote.

In Ohio, students at Oberlin College waited 60-90 minutes at two local polling places.

At the University of South Florida, lines were up to 2 hours long.

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, students were waiting an hour in line to vote on campus.

Turnout is already looking high at some polling places:

At the polling place on the Busch campus of Rutgers University, pollworkers reported that 250 students had already voted by early this morning. In 2004, only 400 people voted at that polling place all day.

We have an album of Election Day photos that we'll be adding to throughout the day, featuring photos of long lines at the polls and other highlights. Check it out here.

Bumped. This post is by Sujatha Jahagirdar of Student PIRGs New Voters Project. —Mike

As registration deadlines pass across the country, the focus of young voter mobilization groups is shifting to ‘get out the vote’ . As with any grassroots mobilization effort, there is a science behind a successful effort to drive young voters to the polls. Below is a listing of various studies done over the past decade that point to the effectiveness of get out the vote tactics such as canvassing, phone banking and text messaging. The Student PIRGs New Voters Project will use these tactics in the largest non-partisan on-the- ground effort to turn out student voters – targeting students on 100 campuses in 17 states.

Pounding the Pavement

Studies conducted by a range of experts indicate that multiple peer-to-peer contacts through canvass, phone-banking and other traditional grassroots organizing methods can significantly increase young voter turnout.

Get out the Vote canvasses and phone banks work. A 2000 Yale University Study found that turnout by individuals canvassed by the Student PIRGs New Voters Project before Election Day was between 10.9 and 12.3 percentage points higher than the control group. A second 2000 Yale University study found that turnout among individuals called by a Student PIRG volunteer before Election Day were 5 percentage points higher than the control group.

Multiple peer-to-peer contact increases an individuals’ likelihood to vote. An additional study of the Student PIRGs New Voters Project by Polimetrix in 2004 found that contacting voters multiple times increases an individual’s likelihood of voting – for example, individuals who were contacted at least three times turned out at a rate of 83.4 percent, compared to a 76.4 percent rate among those contacted just once.

Contacts close to Election Day matter most. The Polimetrix study also found that individuals contacted in the 72 hours before the close of polls turned out at a rate of 81 to 85 percent (depending on the timing of contact) versus 79 percent for those individuals last contacted 4-8 days beforehand, and 69 percent for those last contacted nine or more days beforehand.

Wiring the Web

Technology can also increase young voter turnout. A study released by the Student PIRGs New Voters Project, Credo Mobile and researchers at Princeton University and the University of Michigan found that text message reminders sent the eve of an election can increase youth turnout by four percent.

With this in mind, the Student PIRGs are organizing ‘text out the vote’ tables across the country, where thousands of students will be urged to text their friends ‘get out the vote’ reminders.

A new Facebook application will allow students to send vote reminders to their friend list and set goals to get their friends out to vote.

Over the next twenty days, the Student PIRGs New Voters Project will merge the on-the-ground and on-line tactics described above on one hundred campuses across the country to maximize young voter turnout on Election Day. In the three remaining weeks before Election Day, we will establish 190,000 contacts with young voters, urging them to the polls. A detailed outline of our model is available at www.newvotersproject.org