The executive team of UConn College Democrats has launched a coalition called UConn Students for Harris with a goal to mobilize support for the candidate and encourage voter registration.
Thomas Craig, the president of Stamford College Democrats, collaborated with the Storrs campus team to create this coalition. Their plans primarily consist of outreach to the University of Connecticut community and local areas via phone calls and social media.
According to Emily Grayson, a fifth-semester political science major on the pre-law track and the president of UConn College Democrats, the coalition will host organizing calls and do virtual phone banking to gather voter data and get information on how they can help people vote. This will help ensure that as many people are familiar and comfortable with the voting process as possible.
One goal for the coalition is to “show people a more personalized background” of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, said Grayson. The team aims to remind people that Harris and Walz come from humble backgrounds. The coalition will also highlight the major issues Harris and Walz plan to tackle and outline how those plans will affect regular people and students.
Ryan Rosario, a fifth-semester political science and Latin American studies major and the vice president of UConn College Democrats, said that another long-term goal of the coalition is to keep young voices in policy discussions.
“If we can build energy around getting [Harris] elected, I want to keep that energy around lowering tuition costs in the state and building affordable housing – things that are really important to people that are young,” he said.
UConn College Democrats is an organization that focuses on garnering support for local and national elections. They host various events such as voter registration drives, phone banking and speaker series. Some of the guests the organization is expecting this year include Senator Chris Murphy and Congressman Joe Courtney.
For students interested in joining UConn College Democrats or want to get involved in the UConn Students for Harris coalition, the executives will be tabling at the Involvement Fair on Wednesday, Sept. 4 from 2-6 p.m. There is also a GroupMe linked in their Instagram bio that students can request to join.
When people are added to the GroupMe, they are joining UConn College Democrats. Involvement in UConn Students for Harris is accessible but not required to be in the organization, according to Grayson.
Further information on special events can also be found on their Instagram.