GRAPH
JAMES T. LILLIN
Special to The Leader
Fredonia students are outspoken when it comes to politics. Drive around campus and a plethora of bumper stickers, a few T-shirts and various signs in dorm and townhouse windows can be seen espousing student political affiliation. The visibility of student political awareness is undeniable, but how it translates into actual political involvement is another story.
Considering it is a presidential election year, national politics are sure to gain extra attention throughout Fredonia in 2016. Considering the importance, student club Fredonia Democrats felt it prudent to officially endorse a candidate.
Senior political science major Delia Napolitano, president of Fredonia Democrats, said that the members of her club overwhelmingly support Sen. Bernie Sanders, with “no students approaching us with an interest in supporting Hillary.”
“Bernie’s grassroots movement truly addresses issues that college students and our generation face — student debt, a woman’s right to choose, combating climate change, racial justice and growing income inequality,” Napolitano said.
Nationally this platform has garnered gigantic nationwide support for Sanders, winning him 83 percent of 18-29 year olds in the recent New Hampshire Primary, according to CNN.
The support amongst student group College Republicans is less cut-and-dry, with Vice President Connor Bell, a junior communication disorders and sciences major, explaining that, in no small part due to the much larger and more contentious field, “most of the club is leaning towards Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.”
“The conservative students are definitely a minority … [but] everyone is welcome to our meeting and events regardless of beliefs and the party you are registered with,” Bell said.
Both groups are in agreement when it comes to the number of students actively involved in politics on campus. Although Fredonia Democrats has put together a “Fredonia for Bernie Sanders 2016” Facebook page garnering over 250 “likes,” the group recognizes that there is an uphill battle in actually getting out the vote.
“Unfortunately, online activism sometimes does not manifest into legitimate change,” Napolitano said.
Bell put the disparity into even grimmer numbers, suggesting that “around 1 percent of students at Fredonia are actively engaged in the political process.” He said that although there will be a spike of student political marches, meeting and participation come election time, that “after the election is over the interest in politics will go down again.”
The campus clubs are planning to drum up political activity at Fredonia with an exciting mix of events. Fredonia Democrats held a voter registration drive Monday in McEwen Hall, where club Vice President and junior political science major Josh Ranney advocated for his candidate of choice.
“Bernie Sanders is a revolutionary candidate, unlike anything college students have seen, at least in our lifetime,” he said.
The Republicans, on the other hand continue to host regular “viewing parties for the debates” between primary candidates, according to Bell.
In the future, both Fredonia Democrats and Republicans will be coming together in a soon-to-be announced club debate with the non-partisan Political Science Association moderating. They are also in the process of working out more potential debate times and topics with the Fredonia Debate Forum.
So, how can students get more involved with the political process here at Fredonia? Well, both groups stress the importance of actually registering to vote, which can be done at www.elections.ny.gov/VotingRegister, or by registering at a local Department of Motor Vechicles. New York has closed primaries, which means if you want to vote for a candidate to be their party’s nominee, you must register with that party by March 25 in order to vote on April 19. If you are worried about class or work conflicting with your desire to vote come primary or general election day, you can print out an absentee ballot online in New York to mail in to have your vote counted without having to show up to the polls.