The University of Maryland College Democrats chapter will bring a series of political candidates to the campus in an effort to mobilize student voters as the 2016 election approaches.
UMD College Democrats held its first meeting last week to discuss plans to help elect Democratic candidates in the next election. Rather than backing certain candidates during the primary season, Jake Polce, the club’s president, said the group planned a speaker circuit and is promoting internship and volunteer opportunities for as many Democrats as possible.
“We really want to kind of avoid getting tied down to certain candidates and endorsing certain candidates,” the sophomore government and politics major said. “We want to let all the members get involved with the candidates that they like the best.”
Beginning in November, a handful of candidates will come to the campus to talk about issues important to them so students can learn more about the politicians looking to earn their votes.
State Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-Montgomery), Del. Kumar Barve (D-17th District), former news anchor Kathleen Matthews and former Navy Seal Kristin Beck will be participating in the circuit as they campaign for congressional seats, Polce said.
Rep. Donna Edwards (D-4th District), who is running for U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski’s soon-to-be vacant Senate seat, will also come speak to students, and Polce said he is “pretty confident” her opponent Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-8th District) will visit the campus as well.
In addition to educating students, the speaker circuit can help candidates reach a valuable bloc of voters, said Cayli Baker, the club’s vice president.
“Just showing your face does a lot for your campaign,” said the sophomore English and government and politics major. “So bringing candidates to campus [lets] students know these people are here, these are the issues they stand for, you should check them out.”
Baker said the group was not very active last year and plans to resume weekly meetings this semester to discuss current events, advocate issues and get students involved in campaigns. The group currently has more than 150 students on its listserv, Baker said.
Junior government and politics major Katherine Swanson has worked on several Democratic campaigns and served as the club’s vice president last year. She said she hopes the group’s speaker circuit helps mobilize college students who often don’t vote because they’re too busy, feel uninformed or fine the absentee ballot process for out-of-state students too complicated.
“They’re just not in the mindset of ‘I’m an adult and this is something I have to do,’” Swanson said. “Voting is very much seen as something that your mom and dad do but you don’t.”
Although Republican Gov. Larry Hogan defeated Democrat Anthony Brown in a surprising gubernatorial race last year, his victory was largely the result of frustration with taxes and Gov. Martin O’Malley’s term, said Michael Hanmer, research director of this university’s Center for American Politics and Citizenship.
This frustration might help Republicans threaten Democrats in more state-level elections, Hanmer said, but he does not think it will create any major change in national races.
“I suspect that there won’t be a whole lot of effort from the Democratic [presidential] nominee to spend a ton of time in Maryland,” Hanmer said. “I think they’ll still take it as a given.”
UMD College Democrats also might launch a voter registration campaign with UMD College Republicans next fall, Polce said, and after primary season, the group will ramp up its efforts to elect Democrats. Because Maryland is “one of the bluer states,” Polce said he hopes to team up with similar clubs in schools in nearby states like Pennsylvania and Virginia that might play a larger role in 2016.
“A lot of the times in general elections Maryland is taken for granted, especially on the presidential level,” he said. “I also want to get members out to those swing states so that UMD College Democrats can be as influential as possible.”
