UNC students join delegates in Charlotte

UNC students will join more than 100 delegates in making the trek to Charlotte for the Democratic National Convention next week.

Freshman Vibhav Kollu is attending the convention — held next Tuesday through Thursday — as a delegate for the 12th N.C. Congressional district.

Kollu, 18, was elected in his district, which encompasses parts of central North Carolina, including Charlotte and Greensboro.

At the convention, Kollu will cast his vote to officially nominate President Barack Obama as the Democratic presidential candidate.

He will be the youngest of the 157 delegates from North Carolina at the convention.

Students — and young people in general — are an important part of this election, especially since 37 of the delegates for North Carolina are younger than 35, said Walton Robinson, spokesman for the N.C. Democratic party.

“Young voters are engaged, excited and ready to go,” he said.

Kollu is one of many politically active Democrats on campus who plan to attend the DNC.

Sam Spencer, a delegate and the president of Young Democrats of North Carolina, said this year’s delegation to the DNC has a record number of Young Democrats.

Austin Gilmore, president of the UNC Young Democrats, said the group is organizing bus rides for anyone interested in hearing Obama and Vice President Joe Biden accept their nominations Thursday.

He said about 200 people will travel Thursday to the DNC in nine or 10 buses.

The campus group Tar Heels for Obama will take about 150 students to see the acceptance speeches from a section reserved for students, said campus team leader Lindsey Rietkerk.

“I’m really excited because I loved Obama’s speech (at UNC) in April, but it’s always exciting to hear how he gears his words to the whole country, not just one campus and one voter,” she said.

More students, including Gilmore, will travel to Charlotte earlier in the week.

The Atlantic and the National Journal will host a forum Wednesday for students to talk with political, media and business leaders.

Gilmore said he and other Young Democrats will also attend workshops focused on promoting grassroots activism and registering voters.

“Everything they have planned is a great chance for us to brush up on the wide range of skills of the things we have to do on campus,” Gilmore said.

Louis Duke, spokesman for the College Democrats of North Carolina, said efforts on campus will help Obama win the state in November.

He said the organization is planning massive voter registration efforts on campuses to parallel the same level of turnout they saw in 2008.

“Most students enrolled in four-year programs across the state will get to vote for President Obama for the first time this year — that’s big,” he said.

“Who wants to sit out their first presidential election?”

Contact the desk editor at state@dailytarheel.com.