The 2016 presidential race is starting to heat up as next fall’s election gets closer. Most of the candidates running have well funded media campaigns, but in order to better inform the student body on campus, the MSU College Democrats, among other student groups, have taken the initiative to involve students in politics.
The MSU College Democrats are one of many youth branches of the democratic party under the Michigan Federation of Democrats, the official college outreach arm for the Michigan Democratic party.
Alex Noffsinger, MSU College Democrats party relations director, said he believes the overall mission for the MSU College Democrats is to promote the democratic party’s egalitarian principles and values to educate people about not only the party itself, but civic engagement as well.
With events such as fundraisers, voter registration and collaborations with other student groups such as Spartans for Hillary and MSU Students for Bernie Sanders, the MSU College Democrats are working towards informing and getting the campus community active in the 2016 presidential race.
There are few legitimate alternatives for young people to participate in if they want to be active, earn experience or make connections in the political field besides college democrats, MSU College Democrats communication director Daniel Eggerding said. According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, about 12.3 million people under the age of 30 voted democrat in the 2012 election which helped President Obama win electoral votes in several different states.
Although the MSU College Democrats are swayed toward the left, they are not claiming their support for a certain candidate until after the democratic presidential primary.
Eggerding said only half of people aged 19-29 actually voted in the last election but 67 percent of youth participants voted democrat versus the 30 percent republicans earned.
“They’re (student branches) important to the parties because it gets youth involved,” MSU College Democrats treasurer Brianna Carmona said. “Candidates have us to speak for them, to volunteer for them, etc. It’s also good for the party because we are the youth, which is a very important group of voters.”
Interested students can go to the MSU College Democrats’ bi-weely meetings on Monday at 8:30 p.m. in 335A Case Hall to join the organization or learn more information on the slew of democratic candidates and the party itself.
