BYU College Republicans and BYU College Democrats, clubs came together to create a bipartisan political campaign fair on Sept. 13.
With representatives from more than seven local and national campaigns present at the Wilkinson Student Center, the event brought BYU students together to learn about candidates’ positions and volunteer opportunities.
Dallin Bundy, president of the Republicans club, and Emma Moore, president of the Democrats club, organized the event. Their goal was to create an event where students could engage with candidates in a major election year.
“We thought one of the great ways was to try and show students how many ways they could become politically active,” Bundy said.
Both Bundy and Moore came from politically active families, which helped them want to get involved in politics and inspire people to do the same.
“We don't want people to be scared of politics,” Moore said. “I really want people to be able to learn about politics in a safe space where they can really educate themselves.”
To make this happen, Bundy and Moore pitched the event idea to the BYU political science department. After getting approval, they started contacting the local campaigns through the internet or other connections.
On the day of the event, representatives from the local Utah Attorney General, gubernatorial and Senate campaigns were present. A few of the officials running for office showed up in person, too.
“I love there's a lot of students here asking great questions, trying to get a feel for who it is they should vote for,” Derek Brown, the Republican candidate for Utah Attorney General, said.
There is also excitement about the campaign fair returning to BYU after many years, especially over third parties that had not been included in previous years.
“In past years when it's been held, they have not included the libertarians,” Rob Latham, the Libertarian candidate running for Utah governor, said. “We're very excited to be included at this event and hope that continues in the future.”
To help students get a better understanding of each political party represented and reduce polarization, Bundy and Moore also created a little passport for students to document their interactions.
The passport encouraged students to talk to a representative of each political party participating in the fair. Students who met with each of the three parties won a free Crumbl cookie.
Regardless of whether they took the passport or not, students said getting to know the candidates helped them gain a better understanding of civic engagement.
“I think it is important to vote and I will advocate for that,” Olivia Fowler, a BYU student studying information systems, said.
The various representatives present at the campaign also expressed similar hopes for students in terms of civic engagement.
“It’s fantastic,” Audrey Evans, a representative for the Harris-Walz campaign, said. “They’re excited, they’re motivated, they want to get into what’s going on.”
Their motivation, along with reduced polarization, was one of the main results that Bundy and Moore hoped for going into the event.
“The one big thing we do want to reduce is that polarization,” Moore sad. “That's why we wanted everyone here have to an opportunity to talk to every booth.”
Students agreed the event did a good job helping them understand the various viewpoints as well.
“It’s been pretty cool to go around and meet the different candidates," Matthew Christensen, a BYU student studying political science, said. “This is probably the first time I’ve been able to meet this many people who are actively running in such a short space.”
Moore is hopeful the event will be repeated in years to come.
