Election-related Activities at the LBJ School

Super Tuesday is fast approaching and the LBJ School is a hotbed of election-related activity. Whether the issue is light rail or the presidential election, the LBJ School community is playing an important role in raising awareness and motivating the public to get involved.

• The non-partisan Get Out & Vote campaign is hosting a "Results Watch Party" in the LBJ School student lounge on election night. "We'll have refreshments and prizes and plenty of time for some healthy debates!" said Get Out & Vote coordinator Sarah Moomaw. Designed to improve voter turnout though voter education and registration drives, Get Out & Vote has registered more than 125 voters in the Austin area. As part of its education efforts, the group has consistently promoted early and absentee voting and distributed non-partisan voter guides. Look for Get Out & Vote advertisements in The Daily Texan on November 3, 6, and 7.
  
  Get Out & Vote: http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~lpbf266/vote2000.html
   
• The LBJ Journal of Public Affairs' latest web edition features op-ed articles on the current presidential elections and the Austin-area light rail proposal. "What started out as a simple idea to present issues and opinions of relevancy to the LBJ community has evolved into what we believe is an important dialogue that may influence the way people will vote come November 7th," said Joan Lim, co-editor of the student publication. "The Journal's web site is one of the very few forums available right now for discussions on the light-rail issue," said Lim. In the current edition, writers from as far as London have contributed to The Journal's electronic bulletin board.
  
  The LBJ Journal of Public Affairs (http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~journal)
   
• Perhaps the hottest issue on the local ballot, Light Rail: Capital Metro's Proposition 1 has received a lot of attention at the LBJ School. The School hosted a debate between former Capital Metro Chair Steve Bayer and Austin Sierra Club Transportation Chair Dick Kallerman during a brown bag lunch on October 25. FOX 7 News covered the event. While it is apparent that the LBJ School community is as divided on the issue as the rest of the city, light rail advocates have been more visible than opponents at the LBJ School. Professor Bill Spelman has engaged in a series of televised debates on the issue and several LBJ School students have volunteered with Austin Choices for Transportation. "Every volunteer makes a difference, especially now when the campaign staff is burnt out and running on empty," said LBJ student and volunteer coordinator Fred Richardson in an appeal to fellow students.
   
• The local, national, and international media has consistently called upon LBJ School faculty members for commentary on the current elections. Internationally syndicated BBC World News has scheduled television and radio interviews for November 6, 7, and 8 with Professors Bill Black, James Galbraith, Frank Gavin, and Elspeth Rostow, and with Dean Ed Dorn. Professor Rostow will also participate in an interview with nationally syndicated Associated Press Television News on Monday, November 6. The Daily Texan ran a front-page article on November 3 called "Professors weigh in on candidates' tax plans." The story featured LBJ School professors Robert Auerbach and Jaqueline Angel. To read the article, visit: http://www.dailytexanonline.com/Friday/2000110301_s03_Professors.html

November 3, 2000

News and Events • Fall 2000 News Briefs

©2000 Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs
P.O. Box Y
Austin, TX 78713-8925
512/471-4962

November 8, 2000

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