During this election season, NC State students are getting involved by volunteering with various political campaigns. Dmitri McKinney, a third-year studying chemistry and political science, is volunteering with the Biden campaign, and Lauren Maybin, a third-year studying political science, is volunteering alongside the National Rifle Association (NRA). Both students discussed their experiences working on each campaign.
McKinney said he volunteered with two organizations on the Biden campaign: Communities United, a grassroots intergenerational racial justice organization, and League 46, the Biden campaign initiative to mobilize younger voters.
While volunteering for Communities United, McKinney said his responsibilities were to connect with people in North Carolina by holding watch parties for the presidential debates, contacting people through phone or text and talking about the election with friends.
With League 46, McKinney said he attended biweekly meetings to continue helping the Biden campaign appeal to young voters and making sure topics young voters care about are being promoted.
McKinney said this included “talking about different avenues of reaching out to younger voters, like our Instagram game. I’m still loving the fact that the campaign quoted Taylor Swift in their acceptance of Taylor Swift’s endorsement.”
Another NC State student, Maybin, campaigned for the NRA, where she persuades citizens to vote for candidates who have a record for voting against regulations for owning firearms, except for policies that keep weapons from people who pose a danger to the public. Notable candidates the NRA endorses include President Donald Trump, Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, Sen. Thom Tills and Mark Robinson, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor.
Unlike McKinney, Maybin’s campaign outreach does not cater to college students or all of North Carolina. She primarily reaches out to people in Wake County, specifically in the Wake Forest area.
“I don’t deal directly with NC State students,” Maybin said. “I get a lot more people out of college to retired [people].”
Maybin said her responsibilities for NRA campaigns is to go to various neighborhoods in Wake County, specifically around Wake Forest, and inform people about candidates who have anti-gun ownership platforms.
When campaigning in neighborhoods, Maybin said she avoids houses with political signs in their yards because these people know who they are voting for. Instead, she tries to talk with people who are unsure of who to vote for and persuade them to agree with the NRA’s platform.
“If you are not sure who you want to vote for, there is this website called ISideWith.com,” Maybin said. “It doesn’t ask you about presidents or whatever; it asks you about policies and issues. At the end, it gives you the presidential candidates and how much you line up with them.”
Maybin said she has also campaigned for other candidates in the past, one of them being Chris Malone, who was running for North Carolina House of Representatives District 35. Just like campaigning for the NRA, Maybin said she went to various neighborhoods and persuaded people to vote for him.
“Being able to go and door-knock for someone personally, you are able to give someone a different perspective than what the news or what the news media sources tell you,” Maybin said. “You see more of a person, not just their platform.”
McKinney also previously volunteered for several political campaigns. One campaign he remembers volunteering for was Kristen Powers, a candidate who is currently running for Alamance County board of commissioners.
During Power’s campaign, McKinney said he texted people within his community and researched what people want from a county commissioner.
Both McKinney and Maybin said they enjoy campaigning for specific candidates. While McKinney said he intends on working on other candidate campaigns in the future, Maybin is not sure; however, she said she will always be connected to politics in some form.
To learn more about candidates and the 2020 election, check out Technician’s voter guide edition.
