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A few days before the Nov. 2, 2004 election, the Republican Party of Iowa sent a campaign mailing to residents of House District 75 in support of Rep. Danny Carroll’s campaign for re-election to the House of Representatives of Iowa. (See link below and on the sidebar to view the mailing.)
This “Election Alert” was offensive because of its inaccuracy and its implication that Grinnell College students should be treated differently than other residents of Iowa.
The mailer asks, “[W]hy would you let 1,000 east-coast liberal kids elect your representative?” There are nowhere close to 1,000 “kids” from the East Coast at Grinnell College. Approximately half of Grinnell's 1,400 students are from the Midwest, including over ten percent from Iowa, and another ten percent from outside the United States. Simple math disproves the claim that there are 1,000 students from the East Coast at Grinnell College.
Additionally, Grinnell College students are not all liberal. There is a wide spectrum of political viewpoints on Grinnell’s campus which includes Republicans, Democrats, and students who identify as independents or with other parties. Mr. Carroll and the Republican Party do a disservice to the alumni and currently enrolled students who support the Republican Party when they promote divisive false stereotypes of Grinnell College students.
More disturbing than the mailer’s factual inaccuracy and its use of stereotypes is the implication that Grinnell students should not be allowed to vote in Iowa. The mailer declares, “They’re not from here. They won’t stay here. But they’re voting here.” This claim implies that students should not have representation in the government that governs them. Students live in Iowa for at least nine months of the year for four years. They are governed by the laws of Iowa that entire time. For that reason, all qualified Iowa residents, including students, should have the ability to vote in Iowa.
Therefore, we the undersigned:
1) Ask that the Republican Party of Iowa publicly apologize for this mailing.
And,
2) Ask that Rep. Danny Carroll publicly renounce and explain the mailing.
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The mailing can be seen here: http://www.grinnell.edu/studen... |
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This petition is sponsored by the Grinnell College Student Campaign for Increased Political Engagement (SCIPE). For contact information and more about our organization, please see: http://www.grinnell.edu/studen... |
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