Pro-arena campaign giving UNL students free bus rides to vote
Lincoln Journal Star
April 29, 2010
By Deena Winter
The pro-arena campaign is giving free bus rides to college students so they can vote early -- or register to vote -- for the May 11 election.
And the anti-arena group is questioning the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's e-mail to students informing them of the rides and encouraging them to vote.
College students could be expected to help support the arena; keeping young people in Lincoln is one of the reasons supporters say the city needs a new arena, which is expected to lure more and bigger rock concerts.
But UNL classes end next week -- just days before the election.
So the Citizens for Jobs and the Lincoln Haymarket Arena Committee are giving bus rides to UNL students this week.
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Franco said the e-mail was intended to encourage students to vote -- and he said it's the only e-mail to students that has gone through his office.
He's not aware of previous elections where UNL students were bused to the election office.
"We always want to encourage our students to vote," Franco said. "We never tell them how to vote."
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Justin Solomon, a 21-year-old Omaha native and ASUN president, said the student government requested the e-mail be sent and worked with the pro-arena campaign to line up the bus rides.
ASUN voted earlier this year to support the arena project. Though he's already voted, Solomon went on one of the trips Tuesday and said about nine students showed up, including a couple of first-time voters.
There were pro-arena signs outside of the buses, he said, but not inside them, and pro-arena stickers were offered to students after they left the Election Commissioner's office.
"We're very watchful to make sure we're not breaking any rules here," Solomon said.
On Wednesday, a pro-arena booth was stationed outside of the bus stop.
Solomon said the fact most students will be gone by election day is unfortunate.
"It's very important that we get them out there," he said.
But the bus rides are meant to encourage voting, he said -- either "yes" or "no."
"This is very much a service open to anyone who's going to vote," he said. "It was never our objective ... to tell them that they have to vote yes."
