Nathanial Eli Coats Styer, president of the University’s chapter of College Democrats, has never had to turn people away from a meeting.

But last night, more than 100 people couldn’t squeeze into the Pendleton Room of the Michigan Union for the group’s first mass meeting of the year.

The room filled to capacity several minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin, and though current members were urged to make room for newcomers, students had to wait outside, lining the stairs and blocking the hallway.

College Democrats members tried to speak to each person waiting outside one on one, giving them rushed introductions and encouraging them to return.

More than 200 people remained inside — still more than capacity — for a meeting that drew speakers including State Sen. Gary Peters (D–Bloomfield Twp.), Rep. John Dingell (D–Dearborn), his wife and Democratic National Committee member Debbie Dingell, State Senate Minority Leader Mark Schauer (D–Battle Creek) and former Michigan basketball playyer and Barack Obama supporter Jimmy King.

Since last Tuesday, the College Democrats have registered 1,741 new voters, more than half the total number of voters the group registered in 2006. Three hundred twenty-eight registered during Festifall alone.

“The excitement on campus is amazing,” Styer said. “I don’t think that we’ve ever matched this kind of excitement.”

Styer said more than 300 students signed up for e-mail lists during last night’s meeting, in addition to 900 who signed up over the past week — the most interest he’s ever seen during his time at the University.

During the meeting, speakers emphasized the importance of the student vote, the urgency of the Presidential election and Michigan’s role in the final decision.

“It’s up to you,” said Schauer. “We can change the math in this election.”

During his speech, Dingell presented Styer with a check for $500 to be used to “elect the next president.” Dingell gave the College Democrats a check of the same value at their annual pancake breakfast fundraiser last March for the same purpose.

Dingell lambasted the current Bush administration, calling it “the worst administration since Caligula,” and encouraged students to vote.

LSA freshman Jacob Taylor said he chose to come to the University in part because of campus’s liberal reputation.

Taylor said he thought this election would have a higher voter turnout because the last election was so close.

“Maybe now people feel like they can make a difference, no matter who they are,” he said. “People want change.”

King compared the role of students in the election to a basketball game.

“We knew that we could change the environment of basketball from our style of play,” he said of the Fab Five’s legacy. “That’s what you guys can do right now, you guys can change the game right now.”