Justin McFarland wants to register Republicans on the Kansas University campus.

But McFarland, president of KU’s College Republicans, figures approaching random students and soliciting their registration might produce more registered Democrats than Republicans.

So the College Republicans will make a targeted effort — going solely to fraternities and sororities, where McFarland figures members might be more sympathetic to the Republican cause than elsewhere on campus.

“It’s kind of like a big game,” he said. “There are benefits to having registration tables, but it gets down to what’s the benefit you’re getting out of it versus what you’re putting into it. If you’re registering a lot of Democrats, it’s not worth it.”

The targeted Republican effort is one of several examples of political posturing under way this campaign season, as groups look to maximize the votes of young adults.

Under federal law, KU is required to make a “good faith effort” to distribute voter registration forms to students. Jeannette Johnson, assistant to Provost David Shulenburger, said the administration delegates that duty to the Student Legislative Awareness Board, a division of Student Senate.

The administration cooperates by allowing the board to place registration forms in each residence hall room and send an e-mail to all students encouraging them to register before the Oct. 18 deadline. This year, that e-mail will be sent the week of Labor Day.

Where to register?

Katie Wolff, director of the Student Legislative Awareness Board, said her group hoped to register 10,000 students. Two years ago, she said, it registered 3,500 students.

“I’ve been laughed at for saying 10,000, but I think it could be done,” Wolff said.

Students have the option of registering in Douglas County or their home counties. The bureau is urging students to register here.

“We keep a running tally of how many students we register,” Wolff said. “When we go to lobby for the legislative session, it’s nice to have those numbers to go to our state representatives to say, ‘Look at how many students care about the issues here in Kansas. We registered all these people.’ Students really do have a say. It gives us a lot more power on state issues.”

She said the bureau also encourages students to register locally because it’s easier to follow issues in local media.

The group is planning a “civil literacy week” from Sept. 26-Oct. 2 with political-related movies, a “rock the vote” concert in South Park and appearances by politicians. Wolff said she’s hoping that week will result in many new registrations.

Battleground votes

Leaders of Republican and Democrat groups on campus say they ask prospective voters where they live before registering them. If they’re from Kansas, they’ll encourage them to register in Douglas County.

“But if their home is Missouri or New Mexico or Florida, we encourage them to vote at home,” said Kathleen Daughety, president of KU Democrats.

That’s because — unlike in Republican-dominated Kansas — a few votes for president could make a difference in battleground states.

“We encourage them to vote where their vote matters most,” McFarland concurred.

Unlike the Republicans, Daughety said the KU Democrats plan to solicit voters from tables on campus. Bureau representatives also have been setting up registration tables.

Wolff said she thought increasing state funding for higher education — which could stave off future tuition increases — was a top priority for college voters this campaign.

“Every student faces the burden of increasing tuition,” she said. “There might not be a lot we can do about the five-year (tuition increase) plan at this point, but the Legislature can still cut our budget.”