The 2020 presidential election is a little over a month away, and student organizations on campus, such as the Ball State College Democrats and the Ball State College Republicans, are ready to meet it head-on.
Both student organizations are encouraging students to vote in this year’s presidential election.
“Our current goal is to help promote conservatism on campus and get Republicans elected to local and statewide office in 2020,” said Gaven Schulz, chairman of the Ball State College Republicans.
The College Republicans don't currently have any events planned, but they do meet every Thursday over Zoom to discuss current issues.
“We talk about all issues at our meeting. Whatever people want to talk about, whatever people are interested in, that's what we address,” Schulz said.
On the other side, the College Democrats hold Zoom meetings every Wednesday where they discuss current issues such as the Black Lives Matter movement and the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which has steered their recent conversations toward women’s rights.
“With issues like these, we work to bring about the change we seek by calling our representatives, registering new voters, reaching out to and volunteering for local organizations, and more,” said Griffin Green, affairs director of the College Democrats, via email.
The College Democrats were recently involved in the protest and voter rally Sept. 26 at University Green and have partnered with the Student Government Association and the College Republicans to register students to vote.
“I believe they should vote for Joe Biden because while he is not as progressive as most of us would like to see, he has morals and values to begin pushing this country forward,” Green said.
The College Republicans advocated for the re-election of President Donald Trump while handing out pocket Constitutions at the Scramble Light Sept. 17.
“Donald Trump has shown how much he cares about the American people,” Schulz said. “He has promoted things such as free speech on campus. We’ve seen tax cuts and regulations being cut.”
Meanwhile, the College Democrats believe Joe Biden offers more to the position.
“I believe that students should vote for Joe Biden for one specific reason: a chance to fight another day,” Green said. “Trump has made it clear that he is willing to let hundreds of thousands of Americans die in order to enrich himself and his friends.”
Contact Jaden Hasse with comments at jdhasse@bsu.edu or on Twitter @HasseJaden.