Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., will speak at the Hopkins Center today at noon as a part of a “Rally to Get Out the Vote” hosted by College Democrats. The event will focus on the Senate race between incumbent Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and former Republican Massachusetts senator Scott Brown and will feature several student speakers. Alisa White ’17 will address the involvement of major private donors in politics, Leehi Yona ’16 will speak on the significance of climate change and Mariah Williams MALS’15is scheduled to discuss expanding opportunity for women.
Students across the U.S. must become more involved in politics, Sanders said.
“The bottom line here is that it is unacceptable that 80 percent of young people are not participating in the political process while at the same time billionaires are buying elections,” Sanders said in an interview. “I know that many young people have very serious concerns about a number of issues — the high cost of college, student indebtedness, global warming, pay equity for women, women’s rights, national priorities — and none of those concerns will be effectively addressed unless young people stand up and fight, and one of the aspects of standing up and fighting is to participate in the political process.”
Sanders’s visit is part of his statewide campaign leading up to Election Day, which included a Tuesday stop in Keene.
Polls continue to indicate a tight race between Brown and Shaheen, and both the College Democrats and College Republicans have organized phone banking to galvanize support.
College Republicans president Michelle Knesbach ’17 said she was excited by the increasing level of political activity on campus.
Last week, New Hampshire state representative and congressional candidate Marilinda Garcia, R-Salem, and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton appeared at a forum focused on national security and foreign policy in Dartmouth Hall.
College Democrats president Spencer Blair ’17 said Thursday’s rally aims to encourage students and other Dartmouth community members to vote in the upcoming election.
Though Sanders is not a Democrat, Blair said he is fighting for many of the same priorities, including ridding politics of big money, combating climate change, expanding opportunities for women and strengthening the middle class.
Blair said the issues facing students that the event plans to highlight extend beyond the approaching election.
Williams, who is speaking today about issues that affect women, including Sanders’s vote to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. Originally registered to vote in Florida, Williams said she switched her registration to New Hampshire because of the state’s pivotal role in national politics.
Sanders voiced his support of Shaheen and stressed the importance of this election in determining the political future of New Hampshire and of the nation as a whole. Sanders said that though Shaheen is more conservative than he is, he hopes she will be reelected.
“What happens in New Hampshire can be pivotal in terms of who controls the Senate,” he said.
Blair is a member of The Dartmouth opinion staff.
