Democratic Candidates Release Official Statements on the Iowa Student Vote
In recent weeks the student vote in Iowa has garnered significant attention. The Young Voter PAC, a Democratic organization dedicated to increasing the 18-35 year-old vote, wishes the attention had focused purely on turning out the youth and student vote but unfortunately, it has not. Numerous statements by several candidates, their surrogates, and even a noted columnist have sent mixed messages to young people, especially students attending schools of higher education in Iowa.
Attempting to clarify the candidates’ stance on this issue, the Young Voter PAC requested statements from each of the Democratic campaigns. Below are the statements from the campaigns that responded to the request.
(In alpha order)
Hillary Clinton: “Hillary wants every student who lives in Iowa and wants to caucus in Iowa and is eligible to caucus in Iowa to do so. We hope that they will and we hope that they will caucus for Hillary. The Iowa caucus is special because it is based on Iowa values. We hope and trust that every campaign is making sure that potential caucus goers have all the information they need, and in no way explicitly or implicitly encourages anyone to break the law by participating in two places. Not only is it okay to engage students in Iowa, but it is critical to ensure that they are active participants in the process, and we are doing everything we can to get them out to caucus.” –Howard Wolfson, Communications Director
Chris Dodd: “Clearly students who are eligible can vote under the law and of course we welcome the participation of Iowa students in the caucuses” – Hari Sevugan, Communications Director
John Edwards: “The Democratic Party has set clear rules on who can caucus and all the campaigns should follow those rules. Students who move here for college and are properly registered have always been able to caucus.” – Dan Leistikow, Iowa Communications Director
Barack Obama: “Barack Obama doesn’t believe that we should disenfranchise Iowans who meet all the requirements for caucus participation simply because they’re in college. We should be encouraging young people to participate in the political process — not looking for ways to shut them out.” – Jen Psaki, Campaign Spokeswoman
Bill Richardson: “Governor Bill Richardson looks forward to students caucusing for him on January 3rd. He believes that the caucus process is an excellent opportunity for young voters, and he encourages all students who are eligible to participate and experience the excitement of the first-in-the-nation caucus.” – Roberts Becker, Iowa State Director
