While colorful campaign posters cover campus billboards, some Yale College Council officer candidates are turning to alternate campaign methods to stand out from the pack.
Two candidates have created campaign Web sites, some have created buttons and one plans to distribute personalized fortune cookies on Cross Campus, YCC Vice President Ryan Sheely ’04 said.
Elliott Mogul ’05, a YCC presidential candidate, has created a Web site, www.emogul.net. The site features the reasons why one might vote for Mogul, his accomplishments and photographs of Mogul with his family and friends, featuring a Flash introduction with music.
“I learned how important a Web site can be to distribute information,” said Mogul, who is renting the domain name for $7 per month. “It’s a way to convey a lot more information to them without me actually being there.”
Mogul has also developed a campaign team of 18 friends in different classes and various residential colleges to lead his campaign. His campaign also includes buttons featuring his “trademark hair.”
Vice presidential candidate Alan Kennedy-Shaffer ’06 will also use buttons to convey his message and called today “button day.”
“I think my style is to use more personal means,” Kennedy-Shaffer said. “It’s all about reaching out to the voter. If someone is wearing my button and if another person sees that button, it’s like a personal endorsement, which is the most effective way of persuading people to vote for you.”
Kennedy-Shaffer has also created a Web site, which he has used in previous Freshman Class Council and YCC representative elections. He said he created the domain name last year and plans to keep it after this election.
One of his posters shows the Yale seal with the words, “Lux Et Veritas” replaced by “www.voteaks.com,” his Web site address.
Sheely said Nirupam Sinha ’05, candidate for vice president, plans to stand at Cross Campus today distributing fortune cookies with his name on them. He said talking with individuals should prove to be a successful strategy.
“One of the key things in this election is to make yourself memorable in the minds of the voters,” Sinha said.