Ridgeland, MS - (September 19, 2008) – – Cellular South, a leader in wireless solutions and innovation, is partnering with the University of Mississippi to sponsor a poll of student opinions and perspectives on the upcoming 2008 elections in conjunction with the presidential debate in Oxford next week.
Students will be able to vote at a specially designated high-technology polling place in the Ole Miss Student Union Sept. 22-25 using HTC Touch smart phones powered by Cellular South's high-speed 3G wireless data network. On Friday, Sept. 26, the polling station will shift outside to The Grove adjacent to Issues Alley and the "Rock the Vote" Festival stage.
The 10-question poll was designed by Southern Research Group for Cellular South and Ole Miss to gauge Mississippi college student perspectives on issues in the 2008 presidential race. "We're excited about the opportunity to collaborate with Cellular South on a project that will help our state and nation better understand student perspectives in this election," said Thomas "Sparky" Reardon, Ole Miss Assistant Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students.
Company officials and university representatives are optimistic that the poll will attract strong interest among the 17,601 students enrolled at the college. "We only need about 350 responses for the poll to be statistically valid and we expect to get that level of participation in the first couple of days," said Cellular South spokesman Jim Richmond. The company is advertising the poll in local newspapers and on campus with fliers and posters in residence halls in an effort to boost student participation.
Poll results will be updated hourly and posted online at www.cellularsouth.com/election2008 along with other election-related content, special sections on voter resources and links to major national election polls, important election deadlines in Mississippi and news articles on the significance of the youth vote in the 2008 elections.
"This is one of the most important elections we've seen in years," said Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann. "Cellular South has designed a website that gives our youth an important tool for participating in both this historic presidential debate at Ole Miss and the 2008 general election."
The Cellular South student opinion poll website features a column on the significance of the youth vote by Dr. Richard Forgette, professor and chair of the Ole Miss Political Science Department. Forgette believes the youth vote will be "one of the biggest wildcards in the upcoming election," especially if 2004 voting trends continue in a close 2008 presidential race.
Richmond said the company also will showcase its premier Pic Sender service by taking pictures with camera phones of special campus activities and programs during debate week and instantly sending them to an online Flickr album to capture all of the excitement leading up to the historic 2008 presidential debate in Oxford. Pic Sender automatically saves photos to a personal computer file, e-mail or your favorite online photo album website.
"Whether it's sending pictures over the Internet or counting votes by students, our robust high-speed 3G wireless data network offers customers incredibly fast speeds and convenient Internet access backed by one of the most trusted names in the wireless industry," Richmond said, noting that Cellular South is the first company to offer Oxford and Lafayette County high-speed wireless data connections.
Cellular South's 3G high-speed data network in northwest Mississippi was rolled out in June 2008 as part of a more than $50 million investment in equipment, services and software. "From instant e-mail access to downloading music or accessing relevant content on the mobile web, our high-speed network has changed the way businesses and consumers stay connected," he added.
Richmond said the company plans to share results of the survey with university officials, researchers and journalists.
About Cellular South
Cellular South is a privately-owned diversified mobile communications company passionately committed to helping customers get the most out of their wireless devices and services. The company accomplishes this goal by providing the most reliable and advanced 3G nationwide wireless voice and data network, offering industry-leading unlimited flat rate plans, and through its online and in-store Discover Centers, which give customers easy, simple and convenient tools, tips, advice and information to get the most out of their mobile phone. For more information, visit www.cellularsouth.com.
