BY JESS LYNK
Student Senate, Drake Democrats, College Republicans and Drake Political Review all came together to plan a bi-partisan political event, teaching students how to caucus.
“We were realizing that a lot of Drake students had no idea what a caucus was, because it was a very foreign idea to a bunch of us because nobody has ever caucused before here at Drake,” said Zach Blevins, Vice President of Student Life and an organizer of the event.
“(A lot of us) are from out of state; we are not from Iowa. It is a very unfamiliar process to us. The main players in (these) organizations realized we needed to do something because we have an obligation essentially,” Blevins said.
The event brought media attention from over eight countries and 35 media outlets, including the AP and CNN. The world was watching as students headed to Shivers to learn how the caucus works.
“I am absolutely shocked at how much media is here, but when you start to think about it, it makes a lot of sense,” Blevins said.
“Other schools have done mock caucus training events, (and) they have always been much earlier in the year, but the media is here now,” Blevins said. “A lot of people want to see the youth engagement right now and that is why we wanted to at this time, right before the caucuses.”
The event started with the Republicans going through how they caucus, by just voting. Then they transitioned into the Democratic caucus. Students learned about how viability works and about convincing others to align with a different candidate.
“I am overwhelmed with joy at how much of our campus came out for this event to show how dedicated we are to participate in the caucuses,” Blevins said. “It also shows that youth engagement is high and that we are not going to be an unheard voice in this election season.”
