One campus, one election watch party
By Kayla Piunno
The smell of pizza and popcorn fills the air. The room echoes with the soft murmur of chatter and the sound of popcorn munching. Tensions are rising as the anticipation continues to build, minute by minute. Nervous eyes stare up at the big screen, as the words “Key Race Alert” flash across the monitor.
This was the scene at 8 p.m. on Nov. 8, as anxious students from John Carroll University filed into the Lombardo Student Center conference room to enjoy snacks and the company of fellow classmates, in anticipation of the announcement of the next president of the United States.
Concerning the two presidential nominees, there had been scandal after scandal and countless news articles critiquing both candidates over the preceding year. With all the media coverage of this election, what did JCU students find most interesting about this year’s elections?
“How little about the issues is discussed in the media,” stated senior Andre Alamina. “There has been such little said about things that are actually relevant in this election and I find that very dissapointing but also interesting, in the way that the the voters are deciding who to vote for, for president.”
According to the election results from CNN, only 19 percent of voters were from the age demographic of 19– to 29-year-olds. Forty percent of voters this year came from the 45–64 age group.
“On a national scale we are not very involved. Our generation is one of the worst as far as voter efficacy goes,” the newly elected president of John Carroll’s Student Union, Ben Goodman, stated.
With 19– to 29-year-olds being the lowest percentage of voters, can programs like election watch parties on college campuses help to get more students involved with the election?
“Yeah I definitely think so,” said junior audience member Mary Connolly. “But at the same time, most students have TVs in their rooms, so even if this wasn’t going on, I think they’d still watch it.”
Audience members had varying opinions when asked specifically about John Carroll’s student body and their involvement in the election this year.
“I’ve seen a lot of students who are super involved and really interested. And then there are some that don’t really know what is going on,” said junior Shannon Peartree.
Everyone slowly began to quiet as the final results for Florida appeared on the screen. “This is real. This is actually happening,” came a quiet voice from the front of the room. Many mixed reactions arose from the audience as Trump was announced the winner in Florida. Some clapped and smiled while others shook their heads in glum disbelief.
These reactions were commonly seen throughout the night. While some were excited about the results, others were disappointed. Whether one voted for Donald Trump or one voted for Hillary Clinton, all students came together for one night to watch and to wait for all the votes to be calculated. Setting aside political differences, the campus came together to celebrate the announcement of the new president of the United States.
