Wake the Vote students gain primary experience in New Hampshire // Conte
Whether it was canvassing door-to-door for Clinton in a snowstorm or speaking to Cruz supporters over the telephone, Wake Forest students experienced first hand the New Hampshire primary, held from Feb. 7th through the 10th in Manchester, New Hampshire.
“Wake the Vote”, a Politics and International Affairs undergraduate course, focuses on engaging students more closely in the democratic process through traveling to political events around the country in preparation for the 2016 Presidential Election.
This semester, the students and faculty involved in this program have traveled to Iowa for the caucuses, New Hampshire for the national primary and will later be traveling to South Carolina and Raleigh, North Carolina for their primaries.
Twenty-two students are currently enrolled in this program accompanied by four faculty members that are supervising this program, one of which includes Melissa Harris-Perry of msnbc.
Ciara Ciez, a “Wake the Vote” student and current freshman said, “‘Wake the Vote’ has allowed me to discover that my political views don’t have to fit into one mold. Political views can be diverse and influenced by several factors.”
Nick Boney, a “Wake the Vote” student and current sophomore said his experiences through this program have taught him to challenge his political views and think more critically about certain political issues that are relevant today.
Overall, Wake the Vote has established a mission of promoting democracy while allowing students to interact with a diversity of people within a respectful environment, said Ciez.
Regarding America’s political attitude, Boney said, “I was worried that a lot of people would be disenchanted by our current political climate, but it seems now voters are more invested than ever in making sure their candidate wins.”
Boney and Ciez said, Wake the Vote has exposed them to different subsets of potential future political careers. Both Boney and Ciez said they could both see themselves working in Politics in the future.
“I would love to be in a profession in which I can help influence the political process as a political adviser, consultant or officeholder,” said Ciez.
Boney said he was uncertain of the exact subset of politics he would like to work in, however he said, “All I now now is that I definitely don’t want to run for office.”
Marianne Magjuka, the director of democratic engagement and justice programs in the Pro Humanitate Institute explained the planning process that has gone into “Wake the Vote”.
“We have been working on Wake the Vote since the summer,” Magjuka said, “…finding housing, coordinating transportation, thinking about the application process, learning outcomes for the courses and contacting campaigns.”
Magjuka described herself as a “total political nerd.” She said she considers working for Wake the Vote a tremendous privilege.
In regards to experiencing this alongside students, Magjuka said, “I love engaging the students in conversation about their campaign work and listening to their stories. It is wonderful to see them practice the skills of citizenship.”
photo from Ciara Ciez
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