A sudden increase of clipboard-wielding operatives roaming Kennesaw State University's campus could be intended to tamp down African-American balloting in November.
Michael Sanseviro, Kennesaw State's dean of students, sent a memo to students Tuesday morning, warning that "unauthorized individuals are walking around with clipboards claiming they are registering students to vote" in recent weeks. "Some of these unauthorized individuals," the dean added, "are targeting particular student populations."
A student tipster tells us that the talk on campus is that shenanigans are afoot: The clipboard corps is targeting black students, pretending to register them so they can’t actually vote in November. A campus spokeswoman said she could only confirm that the would-be registrars were not permitted to be on campus, but the dean's memo suggests this is a familiar problem.
“We have had students in the past not be able to vote on election day because they completed a form with an unauthorized person and were never properly registered,” Sanseviro wrote. “We are committed to ensuring all eligible KSU students have the proper access and opportunity to participate in the democratic process.”
The dean’s note said the school has two approved voter registration drives – on Sept. 21 and Sept. 27 – and both will promote online registration. There will also be voter education efforts around campus between Sept. 17-27.
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