Family Focus: UNCC students stepping into political campaigns

Whether it’s preparing for Saturday’s South Carolina Republican primary or laying the groundwork for the Democratic National Convention, volunteers on both sides of the aisle are busy in Charlotte.

 And hundreds of those volunteers are also full-time students.

 Less than a day before the polls open in South Carolina for the first-in-the-South primary and UNCC College Republicans are hard at work, many of them already volunteering in the Palmetto State.

 “We do have several of our College Republicans right now that are going down there, doing phone banking, for Mitt Romney,” said Andrew Kenny.

 Kenny and fellow member Ashton Burr are anxiously awaiting the GOP primary. Both are political science majors, go to school full-time and have volunteered for local Congressmen.

 “It has opened so many doors. I have met people that I never thought I’d meet before. I’ve met people from previous campaigns that I’ve worked on that are currently helping me now,” Burr said.

 That same people aspect is what draws in College Democrat Justin Vollmer.

 Vollmer volunteers at the Obama For America headquarters in Elizabeth.

 “I like to see people get out there and vote. I like to empower them to vote,” he said.

 He volunteers 20 hours per week, going door-to-door to register voters and manning the phones. He also takes a full 15-hour course load at UNCC.

 “I do feel like I am making a difference as far as getting people excited so they actually go for the polls and participate in our electoral process,” Vollmer said.

 The College Republicans do not endorse a candidate during the primaries, so they are currently keeping an eye on all of the candidates and one eye on their classes, too.