Student Voters Crowd IOP For Registration Extravaganza

Under colorful streamers and balloons of red, white, and blue, more than 800 students registered to vote last night at the Institute of Politics (IOP).

In the convention-like atmosphere, inquisitive yet purposeful students wandered from booth to booth finding registration information from nearly all 50 states.

Some students received, absentee ballots from their home states, while others registered to vote at home or in Cambridge for the first time.

Last night's activity-conducted by the Student Advisory Committee of the IOP-was the first voter registration drive sponsored by students here at Harvard, organizers says.

Campaign representatives for six of the Presidential candidates tried to win student support, while student political groups-including the Democratic and Republican clubs-hawked their literature and provided sign-up sheets for interested students.

"Our purpose was not only to register the students but to get them politically involved with the issues and the candidates," organizer David H. Schanzer '85 said yesterday.

"It's been working tremendously well," Schanzer added. "We've been very satisfied with the number of people. At some points tonight it was impossible to walk through. We couldn't have handled any more people."

"I want to be part of the political process. I've just turned 18 and have been given the privilege to vote for the first time," said Robin L. Alper '87, who attended the IOP session.

Another student, Ira R. Bashkow '83-4, was more adamant, "It's just ridiculous not to vote, but it's easy to let things slide. This is a great idea."

Although the colorful balloons lured many students to the IOP, former mayoral candidate Melvin H. King appeared as a supporter for his choice of Democratic Presidential candidates.

"Basically I wanted to lend support to those who are here working in behalf of the Jackson campaign," King said.

Of the gathering of future voters around him King added, "This is a very good thing, as anything that gets people registered and politically active is good."