AU student activists have chalked messages on sidewalks, set up tables, passed out fliers and campaigned for candidates. Now they have to transition to life after the election.
Senior Will Matthews, who is studying political science and print journalism, works for USAction, a nonpartisan organization that focuses on voter registration. The group registered 550,000 new voters before last week's election.
Now that the election is over, Matthews said he will continue to work for the organization two days a week. He said AU students will probably shift their focus from candidates to working on specific issues, such as the war in Iraq.
"The issues are the same, especially because the incumbent won," Matthews said.
Josh Heit, a senior studying government, agreed with Matthews that students would keep working on issues, such as the likely possibility that President George W. Bush will nominate new Supreme Court justices.
Heit volunteered since September with Republican Lisa Marie Cheney's campaign for a Virginia congressional seat. This summer he volunteered for George Ajjan, a New Jersey Republican who lost his bid for Congress.
Although Cheney also lost, Heit said he will keep in touch with fellow volunteers.
"You get really close to the people you work with," he said.
Heit said he would use his newfound free time to search for fresh opportunities. For the next few weeks, he plans to tailor his resume and seek an internship next semester.
Jon Dawood, president of AU Students for Kerry, said he spent 80 percent of his spare time during the past two months working with club members. He worked on club business every day and put some of his own money into it.
"I enjoyed it, but this club took a lot out of me," Dawood said. He is thinking about vying for the open position of treasurer of the AU College Democrats.
He said the club's future is undetermined, but he will keep working. Dawood said students should focus on protests and grass-roots campaigns while awaiting important congressional elections in 2006.
In an e-mail to the AU College Democrats Wednesday morning, club President Greg Wasserstrom said, "One thing is certain: the fight is just beginning. ... For me, I believe this means a greater emphasis on activism and direct action"
