Boston University College Democrats are preparing to boost political activism in the BU community and increase voter turnout and awareness for this year’s midterm election.
Massachusetts is often considered a reliably blue state, and some notable candidates for Congress from Massachusetts include Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who is running for reelection, and Ayanna Pressley, a city council member running for a seat in the House of Representatives.
BU College Democrats will canvass and participate in voter registration drives and other volunteer opportunities across Boston and Massachusetts, BU College Democrats Secretary Benjamin Levy wrote in an email.
“Our goals for the midterms are simple,” Levy wrote. “We need to get out the vote as much as possible by encouraging young people, particularly students, what’s at stake in this election, including many issues that they as students care about.”
BU College Democrats members have been tabling at the George Sherman Union to raise awareness about midterms, help people figure out if they’re eligible to vote in Massachusetts and aid them in filling out voter registration forms, BU College Democrats Communications Director Eva Jungreis said.
Many students have joined BU College Democrats this year, Jungreis said, and many more have registered to vote as a result of the group’s tabling in the GSU.
BU College Democrats has seen a “noticeable and substantial” increase in students interested in supporting Democratic candidates in the 2018 election ever since Splash, Levy wrote.
“Hopefully, though our field work, we will be able to inspire more students across the university to get involved, volunteer, and participate in this grand political process,” Levy wrote.
It can be hard to predict what voter turnout will look like, especially among younger demographics, Levy wrote. However, he wrote that he expects more young people and more women to participate in this year’s election, both voting and running for office.
“In my mind, if we work incredibly hard , put our time in, stay energized, and get other[s] energized, then the Blue Wave will star forming,” Levy wrote.
Jungreis said she believes voter turnout for the 18–29-year-old age group will increase, especially as students see younger, more diverse candidates winning primaries this year, such as Pressley, winner of the Democratic primary in Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who won the Democratic primary in New York’s 14th Congressional District.
Jungreis initially saw a decrease in activism in the past two years, as she said she thinks U.S. President Donald Trump’s election “made it feel just a bit futile to volunteer,” but she now sees more civic participation.
“It’s so nice and so inspiring, specifically because of that dip, to really see this new re-emergence before this election cycle,” Jungreis said. “I know midterms usually aren’t as popular as the presidential election years, so seeing this has been really, really invigorating.”
Levy wrote that he thinks some of the most important issues in this year’s election will be the First Amendment, healthcare, immigration policy and taxes.
Meanwhile, Jungreis said she thinks women’s rights, racial equality, welfare and immigration policy will be the election’s most important topics.
Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore said he encourages students to be politically active, no matter what their political views are.
“I urge all students, whether you can vote in these midterms or not, to at least look, listen, check it out,” Elmore said. “There are a lot of important questions, there are a lot of exciting people, there are a lot of interesting dynamics that are going on with this.”
BU College Democrats and BU College Republicans will be holding a debate on fiscal policy Oct. 18, Jungreis said.