Politics at Carleton

Hi everyone!

We are now less than a week away from what could be one of the most important elections in US history.

This might sound like an exaggeration, but I promise, it is not! Regardless of your political affiliation, you, along with every other American, are likely invested in the outcome of this election. There is polarization! There is illness! As a country, we are facing a time of deep strife! And our two main candidates have fundamentally different ways of approaching these issues. So everyone—Democratic, Republican, Independent, Libertarian, Socialist, the politically apathetic—should care.

Which is why you need to vote vote vote. Didn’t hear it the first time? Vote. VOTE! Vote. No, seriously. Vote. Turn it into a fun family outing (Lord knows these are few and far between nowadays). Bring your mom. Your dad. Your siblings. Your neighbors. Your friends. Literally anyone. Also bring some ID, your handy-dandy mask, and a comfy pair of shoes. And then vote! Don’t believe me? Check out this post from Greta. Or this one from Ben. Carls are voting! You should, too.

Before getting into the nitty-gritty of politics at Carleton, I’ll join my blogging peers and share my voting experience. I registered to vote during my senior year of high school in 2019. My first time voting was in the Democratic primary for the Senate of Virginia, and I have voted in every election since.

When I went to college, I decided to continue to vote in my home district. When you go to a residential college, you can choose to either vote in your home district or your college’s district. Because my district is pretty conservative (and I am not), I decided to continue voting at home. For the elections I missed while at school, I voted absentee, which is super easy. At least, it used be.

For this election, my family and I had initially planned to vote absentee due to COVID. When *someone* (not naming names…) began sowing doubts about the legitimacy of mail-in ballots, my parents and I decided to take our chances and vote early in-person. Although we voted in September, and in the middle of a work day, there must have been 100 people in line. We kept our distance, wore our masks, and went home, happy and healthy, patriotic duty satisfied.

With my voting speech out of the way, I’ll move on to political life at Carleton.

I’ll be honest–I’m not super politically active at school. To clarify, I think that many students find a strong community through political groups on campus, which is wonderful. These students are passionate and engaged, and they do amazing things for the greater Carleton and Northfield communities. If you are interested in politics, you should definitely take the time to get acquainted with our political organizations, even if you ultimately choose not to participate.

With that said, you might be wondering why I am not more active in politics at Carleton. Carleton has been ranked as one of the most liberal schools in the country. While I am pretty liberal, I miss the political diversity that I grew up with in Richmond. I am used to people disagreeing with me. I am used to hearing different viewpoints on political issues. I just don’t see this as much at Carleton.

Instead, I choose to contribute to campaigns on my own time. I participate in the elections in my home district, rather than those in Northfield or Minnesota. Again, I think it’s really admirable that Carleton students are so engaged, but I have found that it’s just not how I prefer to get involved.

So. What exactly are the different ways you can get involved in college?

(Because I think that political engagement is really important, and that young people should absolutely make an effort to participate in politics.) Check out the political organizations on campus! Beyond that, research the political organizations that exist in your home town or your college town. Maybe you will find the community you are looking for, and maybe not.

If not, that is totally okay, too, and it just means that you should look for other opportunities. For this election, I have contributed by donating, making calls, and voting. You can do less than that, more than that, or somewhere in between, but it’s good to take the time in college to explore your role in the political process.

No matter what, though, I think the bare minimum is that anyone over the age of 18 should vote. So vote. If you haven’t, vote. Like. Stop reading. And vote!

(Have I mentioned that you should vote?)

-Andriana

Andriana is a sophomore at Carleton, where she plans to major in English and double minor in Creative Writing and Cross-Cultural Studies. Although she will be spending this fall at home in Richmond, VA, Andriana is already excited to return to Carleton and escape the southern heat. When she isn’t busy avoiding Virginia’s never-ending summer, you can find Andriana binge-reading, playing music, or watching a favorite movie or show for the umpteenth time. Meet the other bloggers!