Colorful signs asking, “Wanna lose your virginity? Lose your virgin voter status and register to vote — Feb. 13th at the Memorial Union” and “Are you experienced? Do you want to be?” decorated the Cardinal Room of the Memorial Union Wednesday.

The New Voters Project held its first general interest and kickoff meeting Wednesday night in the Memorial Union, with more than 40 people in attendance.

The New Voters Project is the largest nonprofit grassroots organization in the country, said campus organizer Seth Landau.

The purpose of the meeting was to introduce students to the New Voters Project and to help them become involved with the group’s goal of encouraging the ISU and Ames communities to register to vote.

“In the last presidential election, 36 percent of young people voted,” Landau said.

He explained that most young people do not vote in elections, and even if they are registered, they simply don’t vote in elections.

One of the goals of the New Voters Project is to get 50,000 young people in Iowa to vote.

That figure represents 10 percent of the youth population in the state, Landau said. The group also hopes to get 75 percent of the ISU campus to participate in the election in November, he said.

State Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, also spoke at the meeting. He explained to students the importance of understanding how democracy works.

“It’s very important to have people involved,” Quirmbach said. “Democracy is a not a spectator sport. Democracy is founded on the notion that good ideas can came from anyone.”

Quirmbach also stressed the significance of young people participating in elections.

“There is a shocking number of people who are not registered to vote,” he said. “Getting people to vote is critical to this country.”

Drew Miller, past chairman for GSB council on voting, said he believes that young people choose not to vote because they feel they are ignored by elected officials.

“We don’t vote because we don’t get attention,” said Miller, senior in computer science.

He also pointed out that Iowa holds substantial voting power, which is why it is so important students cast their vote.

“Iowa has the power to swing a national presidential election — that’s incredible to me,” Miller said.

William Rock, vice speaker of the senate for the Government of the Student Body, said he feels state legislatures doubt young peoples’ involvement in the voting process. “They think we can’t do it,” Rock said.

Consequently, he encouraged students to prove the state legislature wrong and to become active in the New Voter’s Project so that they can encourage other young people to participate in elections.