As the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election draws near, student-led clubs, the Jandon Center, the Government Department and other on-campus groups are hosting a variety of events to involve students in the election, encourage voting, provide opportunities for political action and offer support for those feeling uncertain about the future.
“Eighty-two percent of eligible Smith students voted in the 2020 presidential election, and it’s our goal to surpass that number this year,” said SmithVotes leader Mia Gilmore ’27. SmithVotes is a student-led organization focused on increasing civic engagement and providing voting resources to Smith students. On Election Day, the group will offer shuttles to the polls for students registered to vote in Northampton. The shuttles will leave from the Campus Center and go to Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School from 12 to 8 p.m.
The Government Department is also taking the lead in fostering electoral engagement through academic programming and evening events.
“We’re trying to do as much programming as possible,” said Claire Leavitt, Assistant Professor of Government. The Government Department’s Presidential Debate Watch Party drew a much larger crowd than its organizers expected, with around 150 attendees in a room reserved for 80. “It made the mood feel more like a party than a class,” Professor Leavitt said. The department’s next event is a Pre-Election Discussion Panel on Tuesday, Oct. 29, from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
Despite high levels of student election engagement and interest across campus, many Smithies are also grappling with disillusionment over both major-party presidential candidates. Professor Leavitt noted that while some students seem “excited” and “hopeful” about the prospect of a Kamala Harris presidency (and the prospect of the first female President), a handful of students in her classes have expressed “reservations” over some of Harris’ policies and their sense that the Vice President caters to centrists over progressives.
“Obviously, some outcomes are better than others, and some outcomes give me hope. But overall, I’m really, really scared,” said Percy Funk ’27, a trans/nonbinary Smith student. He also voiced frustration over the lack of substantive discussion on LGBTQ+ rights at the debates, adding, “I haven’t heard the candidates talk openly about trans or queer issues.”
“Even if the Democrats do win — which they have to — I’m worried something like Jan. 6 will happen.” Amid this anxiety, however, Funk finds hope in the ongoing activism and organizing of Smith students on a range of political issues.
Smith Students for Reproductive Justice (SSRJ), a student group currently focused on abortion-rights initiatives and boosting voter turnout in swing states, has co-sponsored BIPOC voter turnout drives and partnered with “Dakotans for Health” to support a reproductive rights ballot initiative in South Dakota. Several SSRJ members also plan to canvas for Harris-Walz in New Hampshire with Planned Parenthood.
The Smith chapter of the Sunrise Movement, a national youth-led climate advocacy organization, hosted a phone banking event last week targeting young voters in Arizona. With an online script and brief training from Sunrise leaders, Smithies spent hours calling voters to encourage support for Vice President Harris.
“I’m actually feeling like this election is within the margin of effort. We have 27 days to change the outcome,” said Emma Coopersmith ’28, the leader of Smith Sunrise. When asked why she felt phone banking was important enough for a Wednesday night, Coopersmith said, “I care a lot more about the future of our climate and our democracy than I do about my grade on a midterm.”
SmithVotes will be tabling outside the Theatre Department’s production of Marie Antoinette to answer voting-related questions Oct. 23 to 26 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The group also encourages students to use TurboVote (available on the Smith Social Network) to learn about ballot initiatives, check their voter registration and request a mail-in ballot.
Campus-wide nerves are mediated by a range of programming from the Jandon Center for Community Engagement. Upcoming events include an educational discussion entitled “Impact of Elections on Community” and a pre-election “Cultivating Calm Day of Mindfulness.” After the election, the Jandon Center is also planning to host an event called the “Activist Post-Election Playbook” to discuss continued action and community organizing regardless of the election results.
“I personally am feeling a mix of anxiety and hope. My hope is due to the joy and encouragement I have found amongst the people who commit themselves to election work, here on campus and beyond,” said Hannah Gates ’22, a Jandon Center staff member and recent Smith graduate. “I am afraid. But I am hopeful. And I know that whatever happens, my strong, beloved community will face the next chapter together.”
