Rebecca F. ’27 knocks on a door in the blazing Las Vegas sun and wind, only to get it slammed in her face.

During the weekend of October 25, Rebecca traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada to campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris in the then-upcoming presidential election. A week later on November 1, Josephine S. ’27 and Chiara H. ’27 similarly trekked to Las Vegas to aid the campaign effort.

The group of three sophomores spent this past year phone banking (cold-calling voters), text banking (texting voters), and writing letters to potentially undecided voters in swing states, as a part of their effort to educate and engage potential Democratic voters. 

Each opportunity gave the three sophomores a better outlook on the American political system and how American citizens interact with their civic duties.

Throughout their trips and previous experiences, the three sophomores engaged in countless meaningful conversations with voters, spanning an assortment of political beliefs and engagement levels.

Rebbeca highlighted the range of conversations she engaged in while text banking.

“You get [to communicate with] the people who are, like, ‘we already know who we are voting for, and it’s not the person you’re advocating for,’ but then [you talk to] people who want to know how to vote early, people who want to get involved somehow, and I even had somebody respond to say they were actively at [Harris’] rally,” she said.

Still, nothing could compare to the experience of campaigning on-site—which Rebecca described as “amazing.” Once in the battleground state that ultimately gave its six electoral votes to President-elect Donald Trump, Rebecca recounted the repetitive yet overall rewarding process of campaigning.

“You knock, and most times, nobody answers. Then you leave the materials. But then sometimes, somebody came to the door and you had to actually talk to them. It was really scary at first, but it’s fun.”

     Rebecca, who campaigned with the organization Swing Left, has felt connected to politics from a young age. “Politics were just talked about a lot in my family. I was raised to form my own political beliefs,” she said. Rebecca went to campaign with her parents and younger brother. “It was great to be with my family, especially, people are friendlier because they have a younger brother. They tend to shut the door less in your face when there’s a 10-year-old child,” said Rebecca.

     Josephine echoed the impact of her family on her political involvement, highlighting one specific tradition. “I was raised watching the news, and my grandma would sit us all down and start debating things with our family, and we still do it to this day.”

     Josephine and Chiara, who traveled to Las Vegas on November 1 with the organization Donuts + Democracy, a small organization run by a friend of Chiara’s friend, were excited to use political engagement as an outlet for her interest in politics. 

     “It’s important to see that you do have an opportunity to help, and also just, you don’t even have to help, but you have the opportunity to form your own opinions and to understand what’s happening in the world,” said Josephine.

     The pair ran a booth at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, along with other people from the Donuts + Democracy organization. This booth was one of a few on campus to help inform students and Las Vegans about the election and their duty to vote. The booths were located next to a voting site, a UNLV library, to increase accessibility.

     Chiara and Josephine offered passersby donuts, and while the Las Vegas locals were picking their choice of donut, the pair tried to engage in conversation about the election. “There was just a wide range of questions. I think it was interesting to see what people were concerned about,” said Chiara, reflecting on her time in Las Vegas.

     Even after this election, Josephine plans on continuing to help increase civic engagement within her communities, especially on a local scale. 

     “No matter what the outcome [of the election] is, there’s still going to be issues to solve and things to help with—on the state level or country level,” said Josephine. 

     In the future, she hopes to continue working to promote understanding of the effects of the choices voters make. “I’m aware of the lack of an education on voting, but I think it still surprises me when I’m talking to people and they’re like, utterly confused on [voting and the intentions behind it.],” said Josephine.

     According to a 2022 Tufts CIRCLE study, 76% of respondents believe that young people have the power to change the country. Still, only 40% of youth aged 18–29 feel “well-qualified” to participate in politics.

When asked about misleading beliefs about being involved in politics as a young person, Chiara said, “It’s the idea that the government is so far away, that you can’t reach it: you can’t influence it at all.”

     Still, the three politically involved teens are not scared to dive into the nuanced world of politics. 

     “Especially as people who can’t vote yet, it’s important that we still try and get involved,” said Chiara.

     “Because someday you’re going to be [of] voting age, and once you are, it’s important to make decisions about how you want your world to be,” added Josephine.

      Reflecting on the election, Chiara, Rebecca, and Josephine were disappointed with the results of Harris’ loss but are eager to stay politically active.

     “Getting involved is super important. Like, I was thinking about that sort of cheesy thing that people say sometimes, that we, [young people, are] the future of the country, but it’s true,” said Rebecca.

     “You don’t have to be eligible to vote to make an impact. I can’t vote, but I still did what I could for the campaign,” added Chiara.