With the election date for the controversial and highly publicized race for the Texas governorship quickly approaching, one Sam Houston State University group is working to get as many students as possible involved in the vote.

The American Democracy Project, a faculty, student and staff group appointed last year, recently launched its student voting campaign, “Mess With Texas – Vote,” which was made noticeable by a week-long stint at a booth in the mall area.

According to the Today@Sam Web site, the slogan caught the attention and favor of George Maheffey, vice president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, which acts as one of two co-sponsors for the ADP. Maheffey is said to have liked the slogan so much, he wants to spread the concept to all of the ADP campuses.

Featuring a large banner bearing the “Mess With Texas” slogan, members of the group worked to register students to vote and raise awareness of the power of the student vote.

“We want students to get involved in democracy through voting,” Frank Krystyniak, Director of Public Relations and ADP committee member, said.

In addition to the public activities and announcements, the ADP also achieves its goals through service projects conducted in the classroom. Professors in many departments across campus have their students conduct projects, such as voter registration, in their classrooms.

“We want students to get involved in the political elections and we want faculty to use service projects in their curriculum,” Frank Krystyniak, Director of Public Relations and member of the ADP Committee, said.

Courses such as SAM 136 use the projects to boost the efforts of the ADP as well as gain community service hours for their students.

This most recent registration effort officially ended yesterday, as October 10 marks the final day citizens may register to vote in the next election.

According to its Web site, over 200 college campuses actively participate in the American Democracy Project, which aims to address the declining participation in civic activities by young Americans. The main goal of the group at SHSU is to “produce graduates who understand and are committed to engaging in meaningful activations in a civil democracy.”