I imagine that being a college student during any election is interesting, but the election this year was particularly exciting. The campus buzz during midterm elections two years ago was definitely not as loud as it was this year. Most of us voted in our first presidential election. It seemed like many students thought the stakes were higher this year than they were two years ago or in other recent presidential elections. Well before the election, many students had settled on a major candidate, and most Midd kids seemed to be supporting Obama and Biden.
Even after the election is over, the trend towards one political consensus, at least among my friends, does not mean that we have any shortage of conversation or debate over the issues. Somewhere in the middle of schoolwork, loads of clubs and teams, students here find time to read about the different policy proposals and to keep up with post-election developments. During the election, many canvassed for the ticket that they supported. It was not uncommon to hear about students who drove to the battleground state of New Hampshire on the weekends to knock on doors and encourage people to vote for their candidate of choice. A lot of Middlebury students were active in calling undecided voters to talk about why their candidate deserved and needed that voter’s support. The College Dems weekly phone-athons in Hillcrest, and on Election Day, they made 6143 calls from Coltrane Lounge during their “All Day Phone Bank for Barack” event.