With the Durham mayoral election four days away, some students are trying to ensure that Election Day does not pass unnoticed.
In addition to co-hosting a debate between the candidates Oct. 23, Duke Democrats and College Republicans are working to raise students' awareness on campus and campaigning for their respective candidates in the community.
Freshman Ben Bergmann, community interaction chair for Duke Democrats, said members of his organization plan to do more in the upcoming days for Democrat incumbent Mayor Bill Bell.
"[We] are planning on participating in a big door-to-door canvas in Durham with the Bell Campaign on Saturday-phone banking for the campaign in a yet-to-be-determined location on campus on Tuesday, going door-to-door in the dorms and tabling," Bergmann wrote in an e-mail.
"Our on-campus effort will really not occur until Monday and Tuesday because we feel like get-out-the-vote activities before then will not be very effective," she said.
Sophomore Vikram Srinivasan, an executive board member of College Republicans, said members of the group are campaigning for Republican candidate Thomas Stith, a City Council member, both on campus and in the city.
He added that several freshman members of College Republicans have registered in Durham and plan to vote in the election.
Sophomore Natalie Figuereo, a member of College Republicans, said she and several other students have run weekly campaign efforts with Stith for the past month.
She added that community members and students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University have joined them.
"We hit mainly conservative neighborhoods with low voter turnout," she said.
Figuereo and Srinivasan identified crime as an important issue for students.
"Duke students want change so we can feel comfortable going out into the community," Srinivasan said. "Mayor Bell's policy hasn't done enough to change the situation."
Bergmann, however, said Stith has not taken a stand on important issues while serving on City Council. He added that Bell's leadership skills make him an attractive candidate for the position.
"We're going to emphasize that we need real leadership in Durham, not just someone who is interested in getting elected," he said.
Despite the groups' efforts, many students said although they are informed about the candidates, they do not plan to vote in the upcoming election because they are not registered in Durham.
"I am not registered here, but I met the mayor once this summer and was not particularly impressed," said junior Chandler Pease.
Other students said they registered last year to vote in the district attorney election but have not followed the mayoral race as closely.
Sophomore Erin Landis, who is from Durham, said she plans to vote in the election but has not decided which candidate she will support.
"I need to do more research about what each of the candidates' positions are," she said.
The mayoral election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 6.
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