October Surprises! Penn State Rolls Out Red Carpet for Democrats

Prominent Democrat AOC to Rally on Campus

In what appears to be a last-minute attempt to boost Democrat voter registration in Pennsylvania, Penn State University is directly coordinating with Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign to bring U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) to the university’s main campus in Centre County for a campaign event just days before the battleground state’s October 21 voter-registration deadline.

Ocasio-Cortez is scheduled to appear on the Penn State campus Friday for the “Penn State Students for Harris-Walz Get Out the Early Vote Rally,” as announced by The Daily Collegian and Onward State on Tuesday.

According to a source at Penn State, the Ocasio-Cortez visit was coordinated by Penn State officials – who control the use of school property by outside organizations. Student groups seeking to sponsor and host similar events must meet strict guidelines and calendar deadlines.

Ocasio-Cortez’s last-minute visit falls outside the official required timeline for an invitation from any student group. However, the student group Students for Harris at Penn State will be coordinating Get-Out-the-Vote efforts during and after the rally. Students for Harris at Penn State was officially recognized by the university on August 1, just weeks after President Biden withdrew from the presidential race.

Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy also has an event scheduled on campus on Thursday. However, the Trump-campaign surrogate was invited to speak by the Penn State chapter of Turning Point USA prior to the deadline for rallies and demonstrations imposed by the university.

The university also changed the original location of Ramaswamy’s event – moving it to a smaller space on campus with a maximum seating capacity of 350. According to the university, the move is based on security standards applied by Penn State to “controversial speakers. Ocasio-Cortez did not initially appear to be regarded as “controversial”. When the label is applied, fewer venues are available speakers, and more restrictive planning and security measures are required. It’s unclear how the university determines which speakers are “controversial” and which are not.

Penn State policies governing political activity, speakers, and demonstrations can be found here:

• Use of University Resources for Political Events or Activities
• Supplemental Policies for Speeches, Rallies, and Demonstrations
• Non-University Groups Using University Facilities

Penn State’s invitation to Ocasio-Cortez comes on the heels of another controversial move by the university in coordination with Centre County’s Democrat-led Board of Elections:

University Welcomes On-Campus Elections Office

A “satellite elections office” was fast-tracked and opened on campus Monday, over the objections of many in the community. The office conducts voter registration and allows visitors to request mail-in ballots and return them on the spot.

Centre County Republican Committee Chair, Michelle Schellberg, questions the fairness and timing of the move and points to the failure of the county commissioners to provide a similar office in under-served communities, many of which are home to the elderly and low-income individuals.

“It is deeply concerning that a satellite voting office was established at the last minute, serving only PSU and neighboring State College borough, while rural regions, particularly those outside the State College area, have been left without equal access,” said Schellberg.

“This creates an imbalance in voter access, especially for those in rural communities who already face challenges in participating fully in the democratic process. Every citizen deserves an equal opportunity to vote, and it is crucial that election authorities ensure voting facilities are equitably distributed, not just focused on more densely populated and Democrat areas.”

The Centre County GOP Committee has not been granted access to the office and no GOP poll watchers or workers are permitted to observe activities inside, according to Schellberg.

“Satellite offices like this one are a terrific improvement to voter accessibility,” Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt told StateCollege.com during a visit to the satellite office. “When I ran elections in Philadelphia County … we opened up a number of these offices.”

Democrat County Commissioner Amber Concepcion also touted the office and its location, specifically mentioning the easy voting access it provides to university employees and students.

“The goal of this office is to provide convenient access for voters in a location that is both the population and employment center of the county, as well as the location with the highest concentration of new voters who may have questions for staff about the voting process,” Concepcion told the news outlet.

Pennsylvania is a critical battleground state in the upcoming presidential election.

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