Traditionally, Purdue’s campus has been less involved in elections than other Big Ten schools. But with students getting involved in local politics after West Lafayette annexed Purdue’s campus, an uptick in participation in 2018, and the University’s commitment to on-campus learning this fall, that could be about to change.
The year 2008 was a big year in Indiana politics. It was the first (and remains the only) time Indiana voted for a Democrat in the presidential election since 1964. That year, Lyndon Johnson lost a mere handful of southern states en route to a crushing coast-to-coast victory.
“2008 was the high point of student engagement,” says James McCann, professor of political science. “That was due to a lot of investment by the Obama campaign, and younger voters — students — played a big role in that.”
It wasn’t the strength of Obama’s messaging alone that got students and young people to the ballot box, says McCann. Another key factor was that students actually took the initiative to organize on campus.
“Having a candidate in the limelight matters,” McCann comments. “But at the end of the day, student groups matter, too. Students for Obama played a big part in mobilizing the student vote, and a big part of that is networking in the student body, creating events, and generating a buzz.”
Student Groups Galvanizing the Boilermaker Vote
Voting is more than the few minutes it takes to fill out your ballot on election day.
“When you look at turnout drivers, a lot of it has to do with peer-to-peer engagement,” says McCann.
The leadership of Purdue College Republicans sees it much the same way.
“Purdue, like many college campuses, has a conservative minority,” says the student organization’s vice president, Joshua Kolton, a senior double majoring in aviation management and political science. “We strive to provide students with multiple viewpoints and discussion topics, employing critical thinking to create a positive discussion.”
College Republicans President Tyler Swiezy, a senior majoring in business administration, emphasizes the organization’s role in motivating student voter turnout. “College students are generally politically disengaged, so we may be a student’s first interaction with the Republican Party. We have to make a good first impression. From there, it’s about cultivating a relationship with the student body that makes it known what we stand for — but we have to get them in the door first.”
Getting students in the door is going to look different this election cycle than any before. This is a space where the Purdue College Democrats have already been active, engaging the student body through social media, a blog on current events, and a group chat.
“The more we talk about it, the more people tend to lean toward connecting with elections,” says Daniel Ferrell, president of the College Democrats. “Mobilizing volunteers is my biggest goal, and with November coming, it has never been more important for us to do that.”
Both groups got a serious boost from University President Mitch Daniels. On July 10, Daniels announced that Purdue is joining with other universities from across the nation in committing to full voter registration among eligible students.
“We are happy to see President Daniels’s commitment to civic engagement and support it wholeheartedly,” shares Swiezy. “We want every student to recognize their stake in our republic and to take their responsibilities as citizens of this great country seriously. Further, at a time when Americans’ civic knowledge is lackluster, we support any attempt to instill the civic values that are our great inheritance as Americans.”