Today was filled with new political activities. This morning, every one in the program received the opportunity to learn more about the structure of campaigns by volunteering. Each student split into groups to volunteer for different campaigns. There were four groups in total. Three groups volunteered in Grinnell and canvassed for different candidates.
Hunter and Liam volunteered for the Andrew Yang campaign. They braved the cold to knock on doors and recruit support for Yang. Although most people were not home, many Iowans welcomed Hunter and Liam into their homes where they had meaningful discussions.
Chrissy and Lauren spent the day volunteering for the Biden campaign. Not only did they do some canvassing, but they also spent time making phone calls to undecided voters. Chrissy and Lauren both found this experience useful for further understanding grassroots campaigning.
Mesa and Dana, part of the third group, volunteered for the Warren campaign. They spent the day learning to canvas and make phone calls. They also had an enriching conversation with the Warren staff about the factors that lead to a successful presidential campaign.
Will, Sarah G, Sarah S, Cassidy, and Stephen volunteered at a campaign event for Pete Buttigieg and gained a deeper understanding of how campaign events function. They observed the set up process and assisted with checking in event attendees. The event took place at the Tama County Nature Center and hosted about 100 people. They also spoke with a staff member of Pete’s campaign whose responsibility is to seek political endorsements. From him, they learned about strategies candidates will use to build their coalitions.
We all learned so much about what the day-to-day operations of a campaign look like. We were awed by the dedication and passion campaign staff members and volunteers brought to their work. Each group had a slightly different experience, but all agreed that next time they get a phone call or a knock on the door from a campaign volunteer, they will do their best to make them feel appreciated.
The final portion of our day consisted of meeting with Rachel Bly, Powesheik County Democratic Party Chair. We enjoyed dinner with her at a local Italian restaurant in downtown Grinnell, followed by a local “Caucus 101” event that Rachel, the county’s Republican Party Chair, and the League of Women Voters hosted. The event was free and open to the public as a way of reaching out to those who are interested in learning more about the caucus process or who have perhaps never caucused before because they do not understand how it works. Our group of 14 was joined by by over 50 other members of the community to hear about the history of the caucus process, why Iowa has first-in-the-nation status, and the differences between the Democratic and Republican caucus processes. After listening to the background and explanations, the audience all acted as Republicans and went through a “mock caucus” process. Next, everyone in the audience acted as Democrats and went though that “mock caucus” process. Although our students studied these processes in our course last semester and had done a similar mock caucus on campus, we still all learned something new, as did many, if not all, of the other audience members.
Overall, today was a wonderful day of learning about how grassroots campaigning works and diving deeper into the exact rules and differences in the Democratic and Republican caucus processes.