Kiwi students encourage the world to back Obama
October 22nd, 2008

Who says Kiwis don't know what's going on in the rest of the world?

Auckland University students are running an online campaign for the upcoming presidential election in America. Anyone, in any country, is invited to take two minutes to sign the 'Letter to America' on www.worldwantschange.org.

Within a ten-day period, they aim for a million signatures in support of Democratic nominee Barack Obama.

From the 23rd October until 2nd November, the website will be open "to show the citizens of America that the world wants change," according to website creator Thomas Batcheler.

18-year-old Batcheler is studying law and film studies at the University of Auckland.

So why should Kiwis get involved? "The global recession is going to hurt everybody," says Batcheler. "These are not minor issues."

The open letter talks about how "the citizens of America are deciding who will lead our world to address the challenges that all of us face."

"We're a small country, but we still have a voice," says Batcheler. "This website is a chance to spread the word and be part of history."

He quoted a BBC World Service poll that revealed, "People outside the US would prefer Barack Obama to become US president ahead of John McCain, by a four-to-one margin across 22,500 people polled in 22 countries." (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7606100.stm)

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