By Daisy Levine
Boston University News Service
Every day of voter education week, Thomas Larsen and the Boston University College Democrats tabled in the George Sherman Union. The group asked all Terriers to register and encouraged all to vote absentee in their home state.
At a liberal arts college in a blue state, College Dems’ President Larsen gives away stamps to those in need. He reaches out to cultural organizations, mostly of underrepresented groups on campus, and reminds their members to vote.
But simultaneously, Amanda Iohnes, President of BU College Republicans, said the club she leads is frozen on campus this semester, and hasn’t done a ton of work outside of the organization to encourage voter turnout.
“We’ve received a lot of hate because people see the Republican party through only one lens,” she said.
Voter outreach was mainly engaged only internally, Iohnes said, but her preference was never for the absentee option.
“Absentee ballot[s] should really only be used in the most extreme circumstances,” Iohnes said. “I’d say most of us believe that one should have to show some form of ID to vote.”
Originally from the suburbs of New Jersey in a “purple” swing district within a primarily blue state, the close house race matters to Larsen even from four hours north of his hometown.
“My vote has a higher impact there,” Larsen said. “For students on BU’s campus, nine times out of ten, I’m going to encourage them to vote in their home state.”
College Dems have shifted their efforts from recognizing and enforcing political opposition on campus to maximizing student engagement, promoting absentee voting education and reminding students about the election
“Ironically, there not being a Republican group on campus also makes my life difficult,” Larsen said.
Without the proper counterbalance, BU can’t officially recognize any College Dems accounts as inclusive or bipartisan.
Within her organization, Iohnes encourages all her members to vote, even if it has to be absentee. As a whole, Iohnes said the club believes election day should be a national holiday to allow more people access to voting booths on that Tuesday in November.
Iohnes said she doesn’t know of any eligible voter in College Republicans who aren’t voting for former President Donald Trump. But, since many members are international students, they cannot vote or take part in registration programming.
Now that the absentee deadline has passed, Larsen has moved the College Dems into swing states for day-of advocacy to help Harris keep nearby states, such New Hampshire, in her “blue favor.”
Calling it the “final push,” Larsen said he has seen his members grow in vigor and excitement for what’s to come.
“They’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, there’s an election.’ So they want to do something,” Larsen said. “And we’re providing them an avenue to do something.”
