VIDEO: College Republican Chairwoman suppresses voter registration

A North Carolina College Republican Chairwoman was caught on camera allegedly suppressing the voter registration efforts of a non-profit, conservative student group Wednesday afternoon.

The video, obtained by Campus Reform, captures the interaction between Turning Point USA representative Bree Binder and the Chairwoman of the High Point University College Republicans, Leigh Thomas.

Binder asks Thomas for permission to enter the private liberal arts campus in North Carolina, to conduct a routine voter registration drive.

“We’re just registering people to vote,” Binder says. “I can show you all the forms and everything.”

"I understand the registration process,” the College Republican Chairwoman responded, “I'm just not sure if this is something I would want to have on this High Point University campus, the registration of voting [sic]."

When asked why, Thomas clarified that she does not approve of registering students to vote on campus.

“I don’t want to have any voting registration happening on this campus with students,” Thomas says.

Watch the video here:

 

“[T]he registering students, it’s just...if it’s not done the way that we did it back in 2012, I’m not—I’m not good with it,” Thomas says.

“I understand the forms, I’ve seen the forms before, it’s not about that. I just do not want to have people being registered to vote whatsoever,” Thomas tells Binder.

In an interview with Campus Reform, Turning Points USA founder Charlie Kirk said he was disappointed in the College Republicans' response to his group’s grassroots activism.

“Voter registration is an integral part of getting more young people involved, informed, and engaged,” Kirk said. "Nobody should have a monopoly on registering college students to vote or try to prevent college students from voting." 

“An important part of outreach is civic engagement—we have previously worked very well with College Republicans and are disappointed that, at High Point University, our registration efforts were thwarted by the leader of College Republicans.”

Leigh Thomas refused to comment for this article. The College Republican National Committee did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication. 

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @CalebBonham