At the 2024 Republican and Democratic national conventions, a group of Cornell students found a lot of gray amidst the red and blue.

“There are the scripted speeches at the convention itself, but then we had all of these conversations with people outside of that, where it was clear they had very different opinions and ideas than their party’s platform or nominee,” said Kathryn McGinnis, a doctoral student in public policy who accompanied six undergraduate students on the trips, which were arranged by the Institute of Politics and Global Affairs in the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy.

Credit: Provided

McGinnis said that after meeting with political operatives and hearing speeches, the group’s favorite thing to do was to process it together – which was all the more interesting because they came from diverse political backgrounds. “It was really enlightening, just to be able to talk to your friends about how you think the country should move forward,” she said.

The engagement with ideas, the ability to have conversations across difference, and a recognition of nuance all characterize the approach many students are taking to the U.S. elections in November – along with an unbridled enthusiasm to exercise their right to vote, many for the first time. In addition to attending the conventions – including one student even speaking at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) – students are working on local campaigns, registering people to vote on campus and in the community, educating their peers about the candidates and digging deeper into the issues in their academic work.

And, students said, the more they engage with the political process and other viewpoints, the more open-minded they become.

“You definitely run into people at Cornell with completely different political views,” said Anna Cecilia Fierro ‘27, a public policy major in the Brooks School who attended the conventions alongside McGinnis. “It’s interesting to listen to these points of view, and where maybe previously, I would have reacted in an outburst, now it’s like, OK, let me listen to what you’re saying and understand where you’re coming from.”

Every voice, every vote

While many students have political allegiances, a number of groups on campus are committed to getting people to vote no matter whom they vote for. The nonpartisan student group Cornell Votes, supported by the David M. Einhorn Center for Community Engagement, is the leader in this effort, and they’ve seen unprecedented enthusiasm so far this semester. 

“It goes a long way when people see that you are just interested in their voice, that someone actually cares about what they think,” said Erik Lapidus ‘27, a biological sciences major in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) and community engagement liaison for Cornell Votes, who said his passion for voting stems from his parents, who both immigrated from authoritarian countries in Eastern Europe.

Credit: Jason Koski/Cornell University

“So many people have fought for this right, and we’re finally getting to participate,” he said. 

Cornell Votes has vastly expanded their operations this semester, and as part of their strategy, they’ve mobilized numerous student groups – training them in how to register voters and collaborating on events. 

One such student group is the Cornell Policy Group (CPG), a bipartisan think tank whose members engage in research and analysis to propose and advocate for policy solutions on a wide range of topics.

“It’s a founding value for us that we’re nonpartisan, bipartisan because we’re focused on the issues,” said Lilia Mitra ‘26, a health care policy major in the Brooks School and advocacy director for CPG. 

“There’s a sense of curiosity, inquiry when we encounter ideas that we disagree with, like, why do you think this way? What supporting evidence do you have? So I think it’s been really beneficial for us to come from that space and get involved in the upcoming election,” Mitra said.

When members of CPG felt the excitement on campus, they decided to put together candidate guides for major races in New York state and the presidential race. 

“We wanted to continue to boost that curiosity within Cornell, so students can grapple and understand some of the issues that would then hopefully further allow them to exercise their suffrage,” said Krislyn Michel ‘27, a public policy major in the Brooks School and a subject matter director for CPG.

Michel has been involved in political campaigns since she was 14, going door-to-door and finding common ground in her hometown of Brooklyn and now in Ithaca and surrounding areas. 

“I’ve connected with people from all walks of life,” she said. “It’s a special part of American politics – like, no matter what side you’re on, we all simply want what’s best for us and our communities.” 

Dissent and the political process

For Fierro, one of the most memorable moments at the DNC was a protest during Vice President Kamala Harris’ acceptance speech.

“It wasn’t picked up on any of the news channels, but when you’re in the convention hall, you could hear people protesting and others trying to protest them,” Fierro said. 

Fierro, a Democrat, has seen that kind of dissent and criticism of the Democratic Party at Cornell as well and is encouraged by it. “I find it really refreshing to see that people are engaging, debating the candidates, debating what Kamala Harris says about foreign policy – it’s not like if you criticize the candidate, you’re not a part of the party.” 

McGinnis, a member of the Republican party who has voted for Democrats and Republicans, appreciated the diversity of ideas at the RNC as well. The group met with Republican officials who diverged from the party’s platform, supporting abortion and free education, for example.

“It was so nice to feel like I was being heard,” said McGinnis.

Credit: Provided

McGinnis and Fierro both felt the convention programming was a form of political entertainment but also that they were witnessing history. And they were both inspired to bring the energy of the conventions back to campus. 

“I remember thinking, I have to get back to Cornell and get out the vote. Everyone has to vote,” McGinnis said. “You’re surrounded by all the people who are the most involved in their communities back home, and … you just have so much hope for the political process. You’re like: things are going to be OK.” 

An academic approach

Willy Swenson ’25, an information science major in the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science and CALS, was not planning on voting before enrolling in a course this semester called Taking America’s Pulse, which is being taught on campus and at Cayuga Correctional Facility through the Cornell Prison Education Program. In the class, students literally learn to ask questions – designing a 100-question public opinion survey which is nationally distributed. Students then analyze the data, which in the past has yielded significant insights into how Americans think about a host of issues, political and nonpolitical. 

“The class doesn’t have an inherent political focus,” said Peter Enns, professor of government in A&S and in the Brooks School, who teaches the course with Jonathon Schuldt, professor of communication in CALS and in the Brooks School and executive director of the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research. “But we offer it in election years because there’s so much attention to polls around the election that we can use as a teaching tool. And the students are in a position to have original conclusions about this election, stemming directly from their interests.” 

Students workshop each other’s questions with an eye toward using unbiased language for a diverse audience with a wide range of views. This year, they’ve asked questions that try to gauge Americans’ ideas about Harris’ gender, about age limits for presidential nominees, about America’s interference in foreign elections, and about the candidates’ family and relationship histories.

 For Swenson, the process got him thinking about his own beliefs and the act of voicing them.

“When you look at it on a national scale, like the thousands of data points and people saying what they think, you realize how many people are out there, how many people care about different issues, what their thoughts are, and what you think yourself,” Swenson said. “It’s been eye-opening.

“I do plan to vote now,” he added. “I think everyone should.”

The deadline to register to vote in New York is Oct. 26. Visit Cornell Votes’ website to find information about registration, absentee ballots, early voting and upcoming events.