Autumn Gary
Autumn Gary
What Midterm Elections Mean to Spelman Students
What Midterm Elections Mean to Spelman Students
Today’s college students represent a generation that developed political consciousness amid two-term Obamania and the subsequent calls to Make America Great Again. They have weathered election years paired with racial justice movements, military conflict abroad, widespread financial crises and a pandemic.
As more of Gen Z becomes eligible to vote, these experiences influence how they interact with and reshape the political climate. Spelman College is a campus that significantly promotes civic engagement, and thus, students have a variety of perspectives surrounding if and how they will participate in midterms.
“I think the midterm is actually more important, because we're thinking about who we're electing as our senator, as our governor, our statewide officials. To me, that is who is going to make decisions about education, healthcare, housing, public safety,” senior Autumn Gary said.
Organizers on campus are focused on getting their fellow students involved ahead of Nov. 3. For Gary, a Political Science major and President of the Spelman Democrats, the work has been twofold: getting freshmen students registered and upperclassmen engaged.
“Two years ago, I think that the energy and the attention that was taken towards election season was a lot more mainstream, and a lot more students specifically knew what was going on,” Gary said. “We recently did a voter registration drive, and a lot of students weren't registered to vote. They did not know what the midterms were or why they were important.”
In a September survey conducted by CBS News and YouGov, 47% of respondents under 30 said that they have paid a “fair amount” of attention to the upcoming elections. Of the age group, 67% say they “definitely will vote,” but only 41% say they are “very enthusiastic” about voting in November.
Spelman Demz are holding registration drives, hosting candidates on campus and employing social media to get peers informed. Sophomore Eliana Jones says that endeavors like these have been a key part of gaining information and empowering her as a first-time voter.
“I think a lot of times we get our information from social media like Instagram and TikTok, and that's not to say that some of the information there isn't viable, but I think when you're able to connect with another person face-to-face and hear the change that you can make, you actually realize the power and the impact that you're capable of making.”
Jones, who is registered in Florida, says that the impacts of her state’s policies on minorities made her adamant about being prepared to vote in the midterms. Florida has passed legislation such as the Stop WOKE Act, which limits the teaching of certain race and gender concepts, and has restrictive gender-affirming care policies.
“I wanted to make sure that I was taking enough initiative and doing what I can do to make sure there's less of an opportunity for people with those bigoted mindsets to be able to control the narrative,” Jones said.
Other students are looking beyond elections to affect change. Gabrielle Cassell, a senior comparative women’s studies major, voted in the 2024 election but became disillusioned by what she felt was “uncritical support of Kamala Harris” and an entrapment in the two-party electoral process. She does not plan to vote in the midterms and instead wants to concentrate energy back into her community.
“I'm really invested in alternative educational structures like freedom schools, like those who've come before us have done. Mutual aid has become kind of a buzzword in recent years, but at the core of it is this idea of how we can meet each other's needs when the state deliberately neglects us. I'm invested in what that looks like in a local context,” Cassell said.
The AUC is no stranger to political movements. The consortium was home of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the 1960s, and has seen students mobilize for Black Lives Matter, apartheid divestment, justice in Palestine and more. Positioned in Atlanta, the capital of one of America's most consequential swing states, AUC students are a unique demographic and one that many political hopefuls strive to appeal to.
“So many people feel like their so-called civic responsibility is done just because they mark the ballot,” Cassell said. “Whoever wins the gubernatorial election, people are still gonna be poor, people are still going to be hungry, people are still going to need clothes. People will still be dying. How do we do what's within our capacity to be a good community member?”
Whether a chance to fight for new representation or to ask what else we demand from our democracy, midterms undoubtedly strike up conversation at Spelman. While some students are optimistic about the changes elections could bring, others wish to see more, from both those in power and their peers.
Today’s college students represent a generation that developed political consciousness amid two-term Obamania and the subsequent calls to Make America Great Again. They have weathered election years paired with racial justice movements, military conflict abroad, widespread financial crises and a pandemic.
As more of Gen Z becomes eligible to vote, these experiences influence how they interact with and reshape the political climate. Spelman College is a campus that significantly promotes civic engagement, and thus, students have a variety of perspectives surrounding if and how they will participate in midterms.
“I think the midterm is actually more important, because we're thinking about who we're electing as our senator, as our governor, our statewide officials. To me, that is who is going to make decisions about education, healthcare, housing, public safety,” senior Autumn Gary said.
Organizers on campus are focused on getting their fellow students involved ahead of Nov. 3. For Gary, a Political Science major and President of the Spelman Democrats, the work has been twofold: getting freshmen students registered and upperclassmen engaged.
“Two years ago, I think that the energy and the attention that was taken towards election season was a lot more mainstream, and a lot more students specifically knew what was going on,” Gary said. “We recently did a voter registration drive, and a lot of students weren't registered to vote. They did not know what the midterms were or why they were important.”
In a September survey conducted by CBS News and YouGov, 47% of respondents under 30 said that they have paid a “fair amount” of attention to the upcoming elections. Of the age group, 67% say they “definitely will vote,” but only 41% say they are “very enthusiastic” about voting in November.
Spelman Demz are holding registration drives, hosting candidates on campus and employing social media to get peers informed. Sophomore Eliana Jones says that endeavors like these have been a key part of gaining information and empowering her as a first-time voter.
“I think a lot of times we get our information from social media like Instagram and TikTok, and that's not to say that some of the information there isn't viable, but I think when you're able to connect with another person face-to-face and hear the change that you can make, you actually realize the power and the impact that you're capable of making.”
Jones, who is registered in Florida, says that the impacts of her state’s policies on minorities made her adamant about being prepared to vote in the midterms. Florida has passed legislation such as the Stop WOKE Act, which limits the teaching of certain race and gender concepts, and has restrictive gender-affirming care policies.
“I wanted to make sure that I was taking enough initiative and doing what I can do to make sure there's less of an opportunity for people with those bigoted mindsets to be able to control the narrative,” Jones said.
Other students are looking beyond elections to affect change. Gabrielle Cassell, a senior comparative women’s studies major, voted in the 2024 election but became disillusioned by what she felt was “uncritical support of Kamala Harris” and an entrapment in the two-party electoral process. She does not plan to vote in the midterms and instead wants to concentrate energy back into her community.
“I'm really invested in alternative educational structures like freedom schools, like those who've come before us have done. Mutual aid has become kind of a buzzword in recent years, but at the core of it is this idea of how we can meet each other's needs when the state deliberately neglects us. I'm invested in what that looks like in a local context,” Cassell said.
The AUC is no stranger to political movements. The consortium was home of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the 1960s, and has seen students mobilize for Black Lives Matter, apartheid divestment, justice in Palestine and more. Positioned in Atlanta, the capital of one of America's most consequential swing states, AUC students are a unique demographic and one that many political hopefuls strive to appeal to.
“So many people feel like their so-called civic responsibility is done just because they mark the ballot,” Cassell said. “Whoever wins the gubernatorial election, people are still gonna be poor, people are still going to be hungry, people are still going to need clothes. People will still be dying. How do we do what's within our capacity to be a good community member?”
Whether a chance to fight for new representation or to ask what else we demand from our democracy, midterms undoubtedly strike up conversation at Spelman. While some students are optimistic about the changes elections could bring, others wish to see more, from both those in power and their peers.