Democracy Day Seeks to Motivate the Duke Community to Vote
Duke Democracy Day, a mix of activities aimed at motivating students and other members of the Duke community to vote in the Nov. 8 midterm elections, takes place this Thursday and Friday on campus. (A full list of events can be found on the Duke Votes website.)
While the midterm election has no presidential race at the top of the ballot, the election has far-reaching political implications, said senior Jonah Perrin, one of the event organizers.
“I think convincing students that their vote matters and is important has been a challenge in midterms, without a president at the top of the ticket,” Perrin said.
Kickstarting the Thursday night events is a talk on democracy’s impact abroad.
The speakers are two former Trump administration officials: Gordon Sondland, former ambassador to the European Union, founder of Provenance Hotels and a benefactor of the Pratt School’s Sondland/Durant Center for Entrepreneurship; and Alexander Vindman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who served as a Ukraine expert on the National Security Council. Both men have since soured on the former president.
The American Grand Strategy talk is from 7-8 p.m. Thursday in Penn Pavilion.
On Friday from noon-6 p.m., Democracy Day team members will lead students on a March to the Polls every 30 minutes, walking from the Bryan Center Plaza to vote at Karsh Alumni and Visitor's Center at Chapel Drive and Duke University Road. The event will include food trucks, tacos and ice cream.
Friday’s events also feature a talk by Michael Steele, a former chair of the Republican National Committee and co-founder of the Lincoln Project, who will discuss the state of democracy, the importance of civic engagement and how students can shape America’s future. The event, sponsored by POLIS: Center for Politics, is from 2-3 p.m. in 136 Social Sciences Building.
Other events planned for Friday include:
- Pizza Event: Social Change Wheel Principles: The Duke Office of Durham and Community Affairs will review community engagement principles beyond voting. (Noon-12:45 p.m., Room 064, bottom of the Brodhead Center).
- Mural Painting: Visitors can help activate screen-printed posters with colored pencils, which will be added to an interactive Democracy Wall. Additionally, Duke Arts and Duke Create will lead a printmaking workshop at the Rubenstein Arts Center. (2-4:30 p.m., Nasher Museum of Art.)
- Donuts & Democracy: How Local Government Creates Change: Members of the Durham city council and state legislators will discuss Durham's pressing issues and how local civic action brings new change. (4-5:15 p.m., 139 Social Sciences Building).
Democracy Day sponsors include Duke Votes and the North Carolina Young People’s Voting Alliance (NCYPA).