Monmouth College students have been active in preparation for Election Day 2024

by Barry McNamara

Monmouth, Ill. (10/28/2024) — Reproductive rights and the Israeli-Hamas conflict are among the issues that Monmouth College students are weighing as Election Day - Nov. 5 - draws ever closer.

"Reproductive rights are no doubt on my mind," said Karli Strom '25 of Monmouth, who co-founded the Scots Political Society last year as a general organization focused on civic education, along with Kailyn Gore '26 of Marlton, New Jersey. Gore is studying in France this semester.

"I might do my post-graduate work somewhere else, and that could be a red state instead of a blue state," said Strom of reproductive rights. "I'd also say that, for my generation, Israel and Palestine has become a huge issue."

Strom theorized one reason for that was, due to the pandemic, many of her peers weren't able to reach a high level of activism during the "Black Lives Matter" movement.

"We were all stuck in our houses for that," she said. "So our activism has a built-up status, and now my peers are seeing things on an international level in Israel and Palestine. And no matter which party you support, you hear people saying that not enough is being done about what's going on."

Cameron Shook '26 of Morton, Illinois, listed other areas of concern for the 18-22-year-old demographic.

"The main issues on my mind and the minds of my peers tend to be social issues, such as gun and reproductive rights, immigration, and human rights," he said. "As college students, we also have economic problems lingering on our minds. After four years at Monmouth College, we want to be able to afford a home, groceries and gas for our car."

Anna Brunner of Decatur, Illinois, agreed.

"For me and most of the people I've talked to, the focus is social issues," she said. "But a large part of it comes down to a dislike of the other candidate. There are people who have a strong dislike of Donald Trump, so they're voting for Kamala Harris, and others who have a strong dislike of Harris who will be voting for Trump."

Gore checked in on the election from an international point of view.

"In discussions with French students at my university, Sciences Po Rennes, the first issue that overwhelmingly comes up regarding the upcoming U.S. election is the United States' foreign policy approach to Gaza," said Gore. "To show solidarity and express broader concerns about human rights and the imbalance in the Israel-Palestine conflict, students staged a protest that shut down the school for a day on Oct. 9."

One of Gore's peers in France, who wished to remain anonymous, said, "The moment we are living in today with the U.S. elections in less than a month, the problems in the Middle East, and Russia threatening the world with a nuclear weapon is exactly the same world that people lived in in 1956 with the Suez Canal Crisis. I hope we get some peaceful solution."

Gore said another of her concerns is how the election could reshape the Supreme Court for decades.

"I never thought I'd see the day when Roe v. Wade would be overturned, but the Dobbs decision has made that a harsh reality," she said. "The fact that such a long-standing precedent was undone has left many in my generation questioning whether their fundamental rights are secure in future elections. As someone who identifies with the LGBTQ+ community, I worry that Obergefell v. Hodges and Lawrence v. Texas (which both relate to same-sex rights) could face a similar challenge, depending on the outcome of the election."

From her personal and unique geographic perspective, Gore offered another thought.

"Shifts in the U.S. Supreme Court have far-reaching consequences beyond America's borders," she said. "When the U.S. steps back from protecting fundamental rights, it signals a troubling shift that can destabilize the perception of democracy worldwide. This ripple effect is troubling for those who value the stability of Western democracies, as it raises concerns about the future of democratic institutions and their resilience, particularly in an era where rising powers like China are operating from an autocratic framework."

Sorensen vs. McGraw

Shook and Brunner are two of the 12 Monmouth students who've been immersed in several key races across the United States through a "Parties and Elections" class co-taught by political science faculty member Robin Johnson and former Congresswoman Cheri Bustos. The race between Trump and Harris is certainly a talking point in the class, but the students were actively involved in a campaign that hits closer to home.

"As we've done in the past, students are required to volunteer a minimum of 10 hours in a local campaign," said Johnson. "This year, their choices were Democratic Congressman Eric Sorensen and his Republican challenger, Judge Joe McGraw," the main candidates in the 17th Congressional District in Illinois. "Students are performing campaign functions such as door-to-door canvassing, phone calls and get-out-the-vote efforts. They also walked in the Warren County Prime Beef Festival Parade."

"An important take-away from that experience has been understanding the congressional election process," said Shook. "Volunteers and fundraising are important to a stable and strong campaign. Reaching out to the people of the district goes a long way to putting your name out there, whether it is through television commercials, phone dialing or canvassing in towns across the district."

Johnson's students are exploring other races, too.

"Each student is assigned campaigns to track throughout the election season," he said. "These include key battleground states, key U.S. Senate races, and key U.S. House races. We usually discuss the latest in the campaigns once a week."

"I didn't realize how much of the presidential voting comes to the seven swing states," said Brunner. "People voting in Illinois (not a swing state) have a different voting experience than people in Michigan (a swing state). It's still important to get out and vote in Illinois, but the margin in those seven swing states is a hair's breadth."

Students are not only benefitting from Bustos's observations and analysis of the campaigns, but also from speakers who have addressed the class via Zoom. Guests have included Mike Madrid, one of the top national experts on the Latino vote, and J. Miles Coleman, an analyst with the University of Virginia's Center for Politics.

Outside of her age demographic, Strom said other issues have significance in western Illinois.

"One issue I hear about on both sides of the aisle is about immigration and whether it's a problem. And if it is, how do we address it?" she said. "Climate change and agriculture are also issues for the region. Farmers are always following what regulations the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) will make and how that changes from administration to administration."

More 'American Politics'

The election is also a topic in the "American Politics" course taught by political science professor Mike Nelson.

"Students have been preparing written briefs about significant electoral contests and ballot initiatives," said Nelson. "They also heard from Josh Burch, one of the co-founders of Neighbors United for DC Statehood, about how the election might affect their goals for making Washington, D.C., a state, and other related issues."

Nelson said two student groups have been participating in informing the campus community about the election, including providing information to people on how to register to vote. One is Gore and Strom's group, and the other is led by Shannon Smith '25 of Plano, Illinois, the president of Pi Sigma Alpha, Monmouth's political science honors society.

"Both groups participated in the college's presidential debate watch party in September," said Nelson. "They will also be supporting the college's election night event on Nov. 5, as well as a post-election discussion currently planned for Nov. 7."