For Immediate Release

Date: November 6, 2006

BLOOMSBURG—Voter registration efforts by Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania students, faculty and staff added 656 students to Columbia County’s roster of eligible voters this fall, according to registration organizers. 

Jean Downing, director of SOLVE, BU’s volunteer office, said a total of 2,430 Bloomsburg University students are registered to vote in Columbia County. Downing noted that this number doesn’t include commuter students who vote in other counties or students who retain registration at home and vote with absentee ballots. About 500 students registered during freshmen orientation weekend in August. 

The registration efforts were in correlation with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Voter Registration Project. The goal of the non-partisan project was to register 40,000 young voters nationwide, according to Downing. Bloomsburg’s goal was 5 percent of the student body, or approximately 400 students. 

Bloomsburg University is one of 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The university serves approximately 8,000 students, offering comprehensive programs of study in the colleges of Professional Studies, Business, Liberal Arts and Science and Technology.