Election History

This past week was the end of a long and historic presidential campaign in our country. I was very interested in this campaign, as it really did seem to be an historic part of our country's history. We are in the middle of a fairly serious economic crisis and our country is involved in two major wars overseas. Besides those two issues, we are facing a long term energy crisis, and many of our domestic governmental services - education, health care, and Social Security among them - need reform. Because of these issues, and the fact that we had the chance to elect the first minority president, I decided to actively stay involved in this campaign.

The most significant way that I kept up with the 2008 Presidential race was to work as the Politics Editor for Goshen College's campus newspaper, The Record. I have been involved with The Record before, writing articles for various sections, and editing the News section. However, this year the editor decided to begin a new Politics page and asked if I would be interested in serving as editor, along with another student. I saw this as a great was to practice my journalism skills, stay informed with national politics, and help inform my campus community about the major elections taking place this fall. I quickly agreed to help out and serve as editor. The past couple of months have been heavy with news in the realm of politics and I hope that I helped my fellow students stay up to date with some of what was going on. I know that it can be very easy for college students to not keep up with news, so hopefully I was able to reach some of those students that were not aware of what all was going on in our country, and help them care a little bit about politics in our country and the major election taking place.

Because this was a very important election in our nation's history, I also decided to make the conscious effort to vote as early as possible. I voted early during the first week that early voting in Elkhart County was open, and I'm glad that I did. It was quick and easy, and I did not have to worry about my schedule on Election Day, or the possibility of long lines and wait times. As a citizen of a democratic society, voting is not only a right, but in my view a requirement of any active participant in that society, so getting out a voting, either early or on Election Day is essential. I am also very glad that I voted this year, because for the first time in over 40 years, Indiana voted for a Democratic presidential candidate. In the past when I voted in Indiana, it felt like my vote didn't really matter much, but this year was different. I felt that there was a possibility that Barack Obama could win this state, and I now know that my vote helped him win just enough votes to with this state.

Obama was also successful because of the strong campaign that he ran, nationwide and here in Indiana. His campaign focused on community driven organization. I decided to help out and volunteer for the local efforts of the Obama campaign here in Goshen. Before the election I went canvassing, walking door-to-door to talk to Obama supporters and make sure they were planning on voting. This experience really pushed me out of my comfort zone - I had to go knock on the door of random strangers and talk to them about politics! There were in fact a few houses that did not intend to vote for Obama, and the let me know. I even got into a lengthy discussion with a man who was still undecided, but leaning towards John McCain. Volunteering for the Obama campaign helped me meet all kinds of voters, and also feel more a part of the effort to elect Obama. I may have only worked for a short time, and talked to just a few people. But I know that my efforts may have helped get just a few more votes for Obama, helping him succeed here in Indiana.

(Guiding Principle #2 - Get Political)