Eagan students take on campaigns
December 1, 2020
This election has been one of the most contentious in history, with the largest voter turnout since the 1800’s. The eventual winner and President-elect, Joe Biden, received more votes than any candidate in U.S. history. Naturally, there was something that drove this immense turnout. Young people, many of them too young to vote, have come out in record numbers in 2020 to drive voter turnout; either in sharing social media posts or by calling phone banks. It’s clear this generation has felt the urge to get involved.
I spoke with two students about their political involvement. Delaney Hoke and Claudia Liverseed both worked on the Angie Craig campaign team.
Delaney Hoke
What did you do while you interned? How were you involved?
“I started interning on the Angie Craig for Congress re-election campaign about 8 months ago!
The internship consisted of mostly phone banking, which is one of the hardest but most important parts of a campaign. When I phone banked, I was calling people in our district asking them what their political beliefs were, donations, or for them to volunteer. All hard things to ask of someone! You get a lot of angry people on the other end of the line, but it is crucial to making sure the campaign succeeds.”
How was your time spent?
“I had a really amazing experience and met a lot of awesome interns from all over the country. Angie Craig won by a little over 1,000 votes so I like to think every call mattered!”
What would you say to others looking to get involved?
“So I actually got involved with my internship by going to a DFL caucus where I met Angie in person and asked to intern for her, but, especially with covid happening, you can reach out to campaigns on their website to ask about interning or volunteering opportunities! Mr Snobeck is the political science teacher at our school and he has many contacts and opportunities if anyone is interested”
Claudia Liverseed
How are you involved?
“I am the president of the Women’s Empowerment Club and we hosted text bank events, I hold an organizing internship position with Planned Parenthood, and I interned on a campaign!”
Was it worth your time?
“Definitely! This election was really stressful for me, and to do what I can to make a difference, as well as surrounding myself with people who care about the work that we were doing was incredibly empowering. Young people are too often left out of politics, and as someone who couldn’t vote, it was incredible to meet so many others who are fighting for the same things I am.”
What would you suggest for people looking to get involved?
“I would tell people to just start showing up, and keep showing up! There are so many people who post opinions on social media, or just come to one event, but doing this work requires constant commitment. Groups like Women’s Empowerment are always looking for new members, and so taking the scary step of starting to go is awesome! Additionally, I would tell others that just because the election is over, this work is nowhere near done. No matter who is in office, it’s important to continue showing up and fighting for what you believe in.”
What struck me when speaking to these students was their sense of commitment and dedication to their cause, a constant message of having to show up and work. What’s impressive is the initiative to go out and change the world. It’s easy to post an infographic on social media, but it takes guts and dignity to argue for what you believe in with strangers. Eagan is proud of our students.
