I received an email this evening from the College Republican National Committe that directed me to their new and improved website. While it’s certainly a vast improvement over what we Republicans are used to when it comes to official leadership websites, I’m left wondering why the CRNC decided to use “Rock the Vote” to register voters (see their sidebar). While the group is officially a non-partisan 501(c)3 entity, it has a bit of a left-leaning history.

After President George H. W. Bush vetoed a bill to help their efforts in 1991, President Bill Clinton signed the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 into law. That act expanded voter registration capabilities, which apparently permit the sign ups you’ll now find on RtV’s website today.

In 2003 CNN partnered with RtV to host “America Rocks the Vote”, a Democratic presidential candidate forum in Boston.

In 2004 the group’s focus wasn’t the ongoing wars or taxes, but rather health care gap issues — a category that tends to be a Democratic issue. The same year they sent out a misleading notice that claimed the recipient had been inducted into the United States Armed Forces and was ordered to report to a polling place. Rock the Vote attached a facsimile of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s signature to the notice. The Republican National Committee understandably criticized the group for that move.

The group’s political director, Hans Riemer, ended up leaving the organization to become youth director for, tada, Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

Finally, the group’s mission statement is “to engage and build the political power of young people in order to achieve progressive change in our country.”

A devotion to “progressive change”? Advocating typically-liberal causes? Political directors going straight to work for the Obama campaign after restructuring the organization? Misleading young people into thinking that the Republican administration had inducted them into the United States Armed Forces? Should the College Republican National Committee really be linking to them?

Addendum: Did I mention that the group is now offering a “Fond of Change” t-shirt with Obama’s face on it?