“There are a lot more young people working in politics and on campaigns than someone who isn’t in that world may realize or know,” LaFountaine said.

He credits this to the timeline of the campaigns having an expiration date in November, and that young people often have a little more leeway in their schedules. However, the impact of having young people working on a campaign goes beyond that, he says. 

“Campaigns may not always know how to target young people, and obviously having that voice in the room allows you to do that better and knowing what young people care about, especially as we become more frequent voters too,” LaFountaine said. 

Political theory and constitutional democracy sophomore Jai Patel is working as a campaign intern for John Fitzgerald’s campaign for the House in the 83rd District. A significant part of his role is canvassing, and he feels that his role can help to encourage young voters. 

“A lot of people are turning eighteen and a lot of people are going to register for this election,” Patel said. “Just having someone that shares some similar experience with them would be really useful.“

Business preference sophomore Sydney Martin is working as a Finance Intern for Curtis Hertel’s campaign for Michigan’s seventh congressional district. She said that working on a campaign can be a great introduction to politics for young people. 

“When young people are able to…get involved in politics, we have the power to make the world better and make the world better for everyone,” Martin said. 

This was one of the reasons why Martin wanted to get involved in Hertel’s campaign in the first place.

“I felt like I could contribute to meaningful change by supporting candidates who strive to positively impact the community around us,” she said. 

As a student at MSU, Martin gets even more out of the campaign, as the 7th district, where Hertel is running, includes East Lansing and Lansing.  

“It's an opportunity to get to know my community,” Martin said. “It's an opportunity to, I guess, learn more about Lansing and to see the tangible impact of the work that is done in politics.” 

Patel said alongside Fitzgerald, he is one of the only people on the campaign who actually lives in their district. 

“I try putting in 120% effort going in canvassing, even when I'm not required to, because this means a lot to me too,” he said. 

For LaFountaine, connection to the community is an important part of the campaign. Originally working as a legislative intern for MacDonell, he was in a more policy-oriented and research-based position. 

“You get a lot more face-to-face interaction and relationships in the community that I really valued working on the campaign versus legislative, where you don’t really get that relationship,” he said. 

As the campaign’s manager, LaFountaine has his hand in many different elements of MacDonell’s candidacy.

“As a state rep campaign, I feel like there’s a little bit less staff then you might find on some of the national campaigns…so I feel like I take a bit of an all-encompassing role,” he said. “Making sure we’re applying to the right endorsements, that we have a good budget in place so that we’re not overspending and so that we know how much we need to raise…and also targeting voters.”

Even in these smaller state level campaigns, the team and people behind each decision are extremely important. 

“There’s a whole team behind you,” Patel said. “You got the interns, the coordinators, the field manager who supervises interns and volunteers, the social media person. There’s just a lot that goes on but seeing the whole team work together really makes you work even harder. 

With each element of his role, LaFountaine has learned a lot, and being so involved has shifted his view on politics and campaigning.

“I had a lot of misconceptions about campaigns before I started working in them and how they operated,” he said. “Getting a better sense of how they actually go about contacting voters and fundraising, it’s not as dirty as it may have seemed before.”

At the root of the campaigns are connections with people and community. Lafountaine said they are not just trying to get money or get votes. 

“The most we’re trying to do is get our message out there and have conversations about things that Sharon cares about, like reproductive freedom and education and infrastructure, making sure that people know where she stands,” he said.  

LaFountaine also noted that politics is a lot different when you are actively involved. 

“I think just the nature of politics when you’re not working actively in it, it can get really polarizing,” he said. “Working in it, I think it’s a lot less polarizing actually then it may seem on the outside. I feel like the conversations I’m having are always pretty cordial and kind and…value based.”

Patel noted working on the campaign has also made him view politics less as something “up there” or unattainable. 

“There’s a lot of stuff that goes on, but it’s more down to earth,” he said. “Civilians can get involved in politics by just sharing an idea with a representative and then you can even make a bill for it.”

Martin similarly feels that working in politics has given her a more positive perspective. 

“When you get to see like the people behind the politics, when you get to see that they want the best things for the community that they're part of… I like being able to be up close and see the good in politics and what good impact it can have,” she said. 

Despite not working on a national campaign, the state of federal politics and the presidential elections affects state level campaigns. LaFountaine said people are more on edge than ever. 

“I think people just don't like their choices at the top of the ticket, and then it kind of has these effects down ballot,” he said. 

Martin has noticed a large sense of determination, considering how critical this election year will be. 

“More people are politically active and aware,” she said. “This environment creates dialogue, and it motivates us to be more diligent and strategic in our efforts to connect with our community and address their concerns.”

LaFountaine also noted if voters aren’t satisfied with politics at the national level, then it is important for them to focus on their local elections. 

“I feel like people should kind of move back toward them (local elections) and place an emphasis on the local races and what they can do in their communities to make things a little bit better if they're not comfortable with how things are happening at the national level,” he said. 

If people are focusing too much on what is not being done in the White House or in Congress, then they may not realize what is actually being done in their state, LaFountaine said. 

“Michigan politics works a lot differently,” he said. “A lot is getting done at the state level. If you're seeing what the legislature is doing and passing, there's a lot of work that we can do in Michigan that can happen that isn't dependent on who wins the presidency or Congress.”