New group plans to get students voting, involved

Political elections have been affected by money for years, and now students involved in Democracy Matters are trying to combat this effort by getting students involved across the country.

Brianna Dines, president of Democracy Matters, is helping start up one of the newest clubs on IU’s campus. She said the club focuses its energy around supporting a nonpartisan group that works on getting money out of politics and getting the voters back and more involved.

Democracy Matters is a national group that was started in 2001 by NBA basketball player Adonal Foyle. The mission of the group, as stated on their Web site, is “to strengthen democracy by training young people how to be effective grassroots organizers and advocates and supporting full public financing of election campaigns and other pro-democracy reforms.”

Dines and three other executive members are spearheading the effort to start a strong collegiate chapter of Democracy Matters on campus this semester.

Sophomore Briana Helton, the marketing director for the club, said she’s trying to recruit new student members because the club is still very small. They only have a core of five people, but there are 49 people affiliated with the group.

Helton said she has found that the most successful way to get the word out on campus about the group is through their public Facebook page, “Democracy Matters at IU.” This page has all the information posted about the group and is regularly updated with campus events and meeting times.

In regards to current goals for the semester, Dines and Helton along with treasurer Michael Carey are looking to educate IU students and the Bloomington community about the influence that private money has on elections and what the effect will be on the new administration.

By holding debates and discussions on and off campus, the club is looking to inform new voters. The group hopes to get the community involved, helping individuals make informed voting decisions.

Dines said she believes Democracy Matters is a great addition to the variety of political clubs on IU’s campus.

“It is unique in that it is a political activist group. However it is not specifically for one side or another, it is about cooperation and reaching a common goal versus blaming one side or another,” Dines said.

The group is funded by national grants and donations and is active on 84 college campuses across the country, with two groups in Indiana, one at IU and one at IU Purdue University-Indianapolis.

They meet at 7 p.m. every Tuesday in the Charter Room of the Indiana Memorial Union. For more information, contact Dines at bdines@indiana.edu or visit www.democracymatters.org.