In the last presidential election, voters between the ages 18 and 29 made up only 24 percent of the vote despite the fact that they represent 33 percent of the voting population. For this year's presidential election, several political groups are working together to raise those numbers at the College even though they might endorse different candidates.

Youth Vote 2000 is a non-partisan campaign that MassPIRG, Amherst Students Acting Politically (ASAP) and the Amherst Feminist Alliance (AFA) are collaborating on to encourage college students to register. The College Democrats are also pushing more Amherst students to register in time for the presidential elections.

"It's a real shame, because Amherst students are so aware politically, that they don't go out and exercise their right to vote," said Emmet O'Hanlon '03, a member of MASSPIRG who is organizing Youth Vote.

In order to vote, Amherst students can go to the Bangs Community Center on Nov. 7 between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. or they can register for an absentee ballot in their home voting district beforehand.

The College Democrats have been tabling in Valentine Dining Commons and encouraging students to register and get absentee ballots. They also sent fliers to all Amherst students explaining the registration process step-by-step.

"It seems like a lot of people are taking the initiative and going to get absentee ballots," said Ben Baum '03, president of the College Democrats. "A lot of people have emailed me and come up to me while I've been tabling. It's been really successful."

MassPIRG, ASAP, and AFA are hoping that Youth Vote 2000 will be just as effective in registering Amherst students. Their goal is to register 75 percent of Amherst students. These groups will be tabling in Valentine and the Campus Center soon. Essentially, students just give their name and address at the table and they will receive absentee ballots at school.

"We're trying to make the whole process easier. That's the main thrust: simple and non-partisan," said Bob Razavi '03, co-chair of MassPIRG.

Amy Rosenthal '02, a member of ASAP, said that they hope to expand the program into the community to places in the Pioneer Valley and Holyoke and research issues that are important to those residents. She said that she believes that the cooperation between the groups will be a big part of their success.

"I think it's wonderful that Youth Vote is a program that can bring all the social justice and activist groups together. We have a much stronger voice and we can be more effective as a cooperative group," said Rosenthal. "I hope this sets a precedent for the future, especially when it concerns an interest that is so important to so many people on this campus and in this community."

AFA, in addition to working with Youth Vote 2000, will be tabling in the Campus Center for "Non-Partisan Vote Pro-Choice" in November. The group believes that it is important to get a pro-choice president in office and want to educate students at Amherst on the central issues in the upcoming election, according to Kathryn Fedele '01.

While Youth Vote 2000 is a non-partisan campaign, some of the groups are individually also pushing their own objectives through different events.

The College Democrats are hosting parties on the night of each presidential debate.

"My conception of the College Democrats is just to get the campus thinking about politics and this upcoming election," said Baum. "Our real goal is to get people active. Hopefully, these debate parties will stimulate interest and discussion on the issues. It's all kind of a part of the bigger issue, which is to get Gore elected."

Other events that the College Democrats have discussed include going to New Hampshire to campaign for Gore, going to New York to support Hillary Clinton, getting a panel of faculty members to comment on the different candidates, bringing speakers to campus and holding a party on election night with other campus groups like The Indicator. They will gauge the interest for these ideas at the first debate party, where fliers will be available comparing the candidates and the issues that they stand for.

"What I worry about is a lot of people are apathetic," said Baum. "They don't like Gore. They don't like Bush, so they vote for Nader as a default. I think it's important to vote for the person who says what you agree with the most and sometimes I think that gets a little clouded."

ASAP, however, is endorsing Ralph Nader as a candidate. They will be tabling and providing information about what he stands for, his past record and points on which he and Gore disagree. They are not supporting him as a Green Party candidate but promoting him as an individual candidate and educating people about his views, according to Rosenthal.

"We want to raise the awareness of the Amherst College populace. We're trying to convince people that voting for him isn't a waste," said Rosenthal.