The Class of 2024 entered the university in the midst of one important election year and finished their education just as the next election began. As the 2024 presidential election approaches, Emory University students and faculty reflect on the past four years of political engagement on campus. This was highlighted by various political indicators from the 2020 presidential election. turned over It became Georgia Blue for the first time since 1992 in response to the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Andra Gillespie, associate professor of political science, said the importance of politics is not new at Emory University, which has long worked to educate students about voting and promote voter registration. But she has noticed an increased urgency to vote in recent years.
“It's certainly changed a lot from when I started working here in the mid-2000s,” Gillespie said. “People were very concerned about voting, but there is certainly a more concerted and focused effort to encourage students to vote.”
2020 Voter Engagement Initiatives
In 2020, US President Joe Biden became the first Democrat to win the presidential election. election Georgia surpassed former President Donald Trump by 11,779 people for the first time in 28 years. vote won the state championship, and then Presidency. Gillespie explained that the coronavirus pandemic has affected people's opinion of Trump as president, especially among people who are undecided about who they will vote for.
Associate Professor of Political Science Bernard Fraga noted that students played an important role in the election.
“With Georgia being such a battleground state, the only thing I noticed was a very high interest and engaged student body,” Fraga said.
As a freshman, Haley Jones, 24C, president of Emory Fair Fight University and communications director for Emory's Young Democrats, spent hours on the phone from her dorm room encouraging voters in Georgia to vote. This led to him becoming involved in politics at Emory University. He registers students to vote in Asbury Circle. Although the campus was quiet during the pandemic, Jones felt the community's enthusiasm for the election, which he said was “thrilling.”
“Living in a state and county that has so much power to make real change felt really unique and powerful,” Jones said.
Lois Mann (25C), a young Emory Democratic Party executive committee member, was a first-year student at the time of the 2020 election. Ran In his bid for a seat on the Atlanta School Board, he said he has participated in digital activities, including organizing virtual town halls and engaging with students through social media.
Former Emory University Republican President Christian Jim (15Ox, 17C, 20B, 20L) Said The December 2020 Emory Wheel found that Trump's candidacy led to an increase in student participation. Emory University Republicans are no longer active.
“I was very excited because Trump spoke like anyone else and told it like it is,” Jim said. “He’s a once-in-a-generation type of candidate, so there was a lot of excitement for people to go out and vote for him.”
Mann said Georgia plays an important role in the U.S. political landscape.
“In recent years, starting in 2020 and again in 2022, Georgia has been, in many ways, the center of the national political world,” Mann said.
Fraga also highlighted Georgia's contentious 2020 presidential election. Trump sought to overturn the election results, demanding from Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger:find 11,780”
“The 2020 presidential election was extremely close and nowhere was it more contentious than Georgia,” Fraga said.
In January 2021, months after Biden's victory, Sens. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) won Former Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) and former Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) won the Senate runoff elections, securing control of the Democratic Party. senate Warnock's victory makes him the first black senator in Georgia's history.
Emory University Republicans cooperated In collaboration with the Emory Ballot Initiative and the Georgia College Republicans Association. support Voter registration efforts in the Senate runoff elections.
Former Emory University Republican President Jasmine Jaffe (22C) told The Wheel in December 2020 that she was “not very comfortable” working with Young Democrats and Fair Fight on voter registration efforts.
“I think they’re just more partisan in that regard, even though they have a common interest in registering voters,” Jaffe said. “It’s not fair to people who just want to register to vote.”
Supreme Court Judgment
United States Supreme Court turned over Approximately half a century after the legalization of abortion, the Roe v. Wade trial was held on June 24, 2022.University President Gregory Fenves in a political statement called This ruling is a “backward.”
Young Emory Democratic Vice President Avery Rosen (25C) said she believes in Roe v. Wade and the Georgia Legislature's reversal. restrict access Abortion increases inequality for those who cannot afford to raise children.
“Many of Emory's students come from areas where abortion is legal, so it's clear that people are very upset about abortion, and I hope that continues to motivate them to vote yes on their ballots.” Rosen said.
Former Emory University Republican Chairman Robert Schmadt (23C) I have written In a message to The Wheel in August 2022, he said the Supreme Court's decision “is like grabbing a Fortnite victory royale for the conservative movement.”
“Almost all of my pro-life friends were ecstatic or surprised,” Shumad said. “The right, especially the religious right, is not used to winning culture war battles.”
Generally speaking, Fraga said the Supreme Court has issued a number of decisions that could encourage young people, primarily Democratic voters, to become politically engaged. Since 2020, the Supreme Court has also struck down affirmative action and corroborated Colorado web designer Laurie Smith has decided not to offer services for same-sex marriages.
Early voting for the 2022 election
Warnock visits emory November 19, 2022, after the 2022 Georgia State Senate Election advanced To the outflow.he Recommended Let the Emory community vote and say, “What we do in this moment is a letter to the future.”
Mann served as Warnock's youth engagement coordinator and was instrumental in bringing the senator to college campuses in Georgia.
“Young people are aware of the risks and realize how high they are,” Mann said. “We know that every vote really matters, especially in Georgia.”
Warnock eventually Winner In Georgia, Republican challenger Herschel Walker will win the Senate runoff elections to be held on December 6, 2022.
Warnock's fight to keep his Senate seat in 2022 marked the first time Emory's 1599 Clifton Road building was officially voted on. position For DeKalb County. When early voting began on May 2, 2022, this location recorded a high early voting rate. Gillespie said the location is convenient and accessible to all members of the Emory community, citing Georgia's “generous early voting.” policy” allows voting to begin more than four weeks before election day. Despite this, Rosen said Emory students face challenges when voting at polling places. waiting time Up to 1 and a half hours.
Disillusionment with the 2024 presidential election
Reflecting on 2020, the presidential election on November 5th is scheduled to be a rematch between Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump. Ahead of Election Day, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (96L) is once again drawing attention to Georgia. investigation Regarding the alleged efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election.the former president sued Not guilty He is charged with 13 felonies, including election fraud, extortion and false statements. Willis gained national attention after revealing that he had a “personal relationship” with special counsel Nathan Wade.
In light of the attention surrounding election-related speech, Emory Law School Distinguished Professor Thomas Arthur emphasized the importance of freedom of expression in campus political debates. He explained that over the past four years at Emory, members of his community have become more aware that open expression is acceptable even when they disagree with others. But Jones noted that Emory, like many universities across the country, is predominantly liberal, which can lead to an imbalance in views.
“Sometimes you have the potential to silence dissent, and that's a really difficult thing to do,” Jones said. “Ultimately, you learn by listening behind the scenes.”
Jones also noted the current prevalence of division on campus, including conflicts over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. He also feels politically fatigued and predicts that the next election will be a “very tough battle.”
“This year, it definitely feels like the overall enthusiasm and optimism that was on campus in 2020 isn’t really there anymore,” Jones said. “This reflects the prevailing sentiment at the national level. There is a great sense of division, and above all there is something like dissatisfaction and burnout.”
Rosen echoed similar sentiments, adding that it will be difficult to get the same level of excitement about politics this year, which could dampen some people's motivation to vote.
“They want to go out and vote for someone they really believe in, and there are a lot of young people who just can't find a candidate who is that person for them right now,” Mann said.
But Jones expects student excitement to grow as the election approaches. Mann also believes young voters will rally around him.
“While I expect young people to continue to show up in large numbers to voice their opposition to Donald Trump, I think President Biden still has a lot of work to do to capture those votes,” Mann said. I definitely think so,” he said.
Beyond the ballot
Reflecting on his four years in politics at Emory University, Mann said his role connecting students with elected officials and candidates was “really rewarding.”
“Being able to ground people in the Emory community in the issues happening around our campus is a great way for people to feel more interested and involved in what's going on politically. ,” Mann said.
Additionally, Rosen encouraged Emory students to become politically involved.
“If you don’t like one of the top two candidates, vote no on your ballot because it’s because of who our state legislators are.” [is] The actual physical policies and rules and regulations that we live under every day are so important, even as Emory students who may only be here for four years,” Rosen said. Told.
Lauren Yee (25Ox) is the news editor at The Emory Wheel. She is from Hong Kong and she is majoring in religion. Outside of Wheels, she is a director of the Phi Gamma Literary Society and the Oxford Shakespeare Artists Ensemble. In her free time, she can be found playing the saxophone, watching musicals, or enjoying an iced oat milk matcha.