Dear Visitors,

2004 was an especially pivotal year for our country and the work of the Committee for Political and Legislative Action (CPLA) at Wellesley College. The 2004 presidential election took center stage as people mobilized politically to participate actively in the process of electing our president.

As a result, young voters turned out to the polls in record numbers to vote in the 2004 presidential election in November, proving that the 18-24 year old voting bloc is, indeed, capable of demonstrating political activism. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 51.5% of 18-24 year olds (of the voting population) were registered to vote in 2004. Of this percentage, 41.9% actually voted in the 2004 presidential election. This means, roughly 81.4% of registered 18-24 year olds turned out to vote in 2004!

Political commentators, our nation's leaders and voters alike recognized that the political stakes were high in 2004, which may have contributed to the closely decided election results. But the stakes are always high in a democracy--not just during an election year--because our government, by design, is incapable of functioning without our participation.

Much more than exercising the right to vote, young voters mobilized throughout the country on campaign trails and on election day to deliver a powerful message that participating actively in our democracy is worthy of our attention, time and energy. On Wellesley's campus, we witnessed an unprecedented level of enthusiasm and activity.

The level of enthusiasm and energy we witnessed during the 2004 election season is one that CPLA would like to see maintained well beyond a presidential election cycle. CPLA is committed to building upon this momentum, and we hope you will join us in this effort. CPLA calls upon the members of our community to mobilize for political and legislative ACTION!

CPLA is devoted to enhancing political participation on Wellesley's campus. We believe political activism begins, fundamentally, at the local level. And there is no better time than now, on our college campus, to begin this critical process. CPLA, thus, exists in large part to motivate members of our campus community, especially students, to cultivate their interest in politics and knowledge of issues that affect our local communities, nation and world.

CPLA is a dynamic group of individuals, passionate about politics and enthusiastic about sharing this energy with others. The members of CPLA are also dedicated to the CPLA mission of providing our community with a forum for open and honest political dialogue. CPLA seeks to encourage political activism and awareness among students of our generation because we believe our generation can and will make a difference.

On behalf of CPLA, thank you for expressing an interest in our work. We hope you will find the information and resources contained here useful and interesting. We look forward to welcoming you to CPLA's many events throughout the year!

Take care,

Sophie Kim
Chair
Committee for Political and Legislative Action (CPLA)

Created By: Kate Reece and Karolina Gorska
Last Updated: April 27th, 2006