Our editorial team connected with our former Grizzly editor Laila G. and writer Diego G. about what they had observed on their college campuses around the lead-up to the election today. Diego now attends Haverford College in the swing state of Pennsylvania and Laila attends Northeastern University in the reliably blue state of Massachusetts.
Below is our conversation edited slightly for clarity.
- Do you have very active Democratic and Republican clubs on campus? Were there events hosted by these groups leading up to the election?
DG: Haverford does have both Democratic and Republican clubs, and this year there’s even a club called Haverford for Harris! There are a ton of events I’ve attended hosted by HC Dems, including letter writing to prospective voters, debate viewings in the auditorium, and I’ve even gone door-to-door canvassing for the Harris Walz campaign in local neighborhoods.
LG: Yes, we have both! Northeastern Democrats are more popular than NEU College Republicans, although I know both clubs have put on events such as information sessions, political jeopardy, debate discussions, and watch parties.
- How excited are people to vote on campus? How popular of a topic is the election on campus right now?
DG: The election is a pretty popular topic right now, and pretty much the entire campus is registered. We actually get the day off to go out to vote!
LG: As a political science major and a member of the Alliance of Civically Engaged Students on campus, voting has been a major topic among my circles. Both professors and students alike are very enthusiastic about the election: there were multiple watch parties for both the presidential and VP debates where the rooms were filled! I recently had a homework assignment that asked us for our election predictions. I know many people who have already voted early!
- Are you voting in the state you are going to college or voting back home?
DG: As it happens, I was born in the month of December, meaning I cannot legally vote in this election. If this was not the case, I would absolutely be voting in Pennsylvania.
LG: Unfortunately, I missed the age cut-off by a couple of weeks and will not be able to vote in this election. Many of my peers who can vote have done mail-in ballots for their respective home states, particularly if they live in swing or conservative states. I will be voting in the local Boston elections once I am eligible!
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