This past week, many Americans had the opportunity to voice their opinions in the primary elections. Super Tuesday, the day on which 14 states including Minnesota held their primaries, took place on Tuesday, March 3. Masses of Gusties took an active role in the voting process by checking into the St. Peter polling stations.
At the time of Super Tuesday, the primaries had been underway for about one month. They began with the Iowa Caucus on February 3. Democratic candidates including Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Michael Bloomberg began their campaigns many months ago.
“Super Tuesday is important because it’s the day that the greatest number of states vote in their primary elections. Minnesota is one of these states. Super Tuesday usually sets the precedent for how the rest of the primary election outcomes will look,” Sophomore Korinna Hylen said.
Heading into Super Tuesday, Bernie Sanders held a small lead in delegates over former Vice President Joe Biden while other candidates were struggling to keep up. The third place candidate, Pete Buttigieg, dropped out of the race shortly before Super Tuesday. Minnesota’s own Amy Klobuchar also recently concluded her campaign after struggling to gain traction with voters. Both Buttigieg and Klobuchar endorsed Biden.
Nearly a third of the total delegates in the primary race were up for grabs last Tuesday. The importance of this day was shown through widespread social and mainstream media coverage. Many Gustavus students encouraged others to vote by spreading the word using social media accounts.
“I posted something to encourage people to vote; a picture of me and my friends with our ‘I Voted’ stickers after we voted. I think the primaries have a greater impact on the general election than people realize. It was cool to see a young generation getting out and voting,” First-year Abigail Turnquist said.
Other students took notice of these posts and joined in on the trend. The social media posts worked well with the old fashioned stickers to gain awareness for Super Tuesday.
“I saw lots of fellow Gusties post on social media to spread the word about voting. I also saw lots of ‘I Voted’ stickers on campus,” Hylen said.
For many Gusties, this was an important day to voice their opinion by voting. For others, though, it was a day to express themselves by not participating.
“I did not vote in the primaries. If I were to vote in the general election I would vote for Donald Trump. I think other conservatives might have gone out and cast their primary vote for President Trump just to show their support, but to me that doesn’t seem worth it. There is really no point in me going to vote in the primaries,” Sophomore Brady Hayes said.
President Trump will be the GOP’s candidate for the general election later this year. Conservatives may not have felt the need to go out and vote because their party had essentially decided on its candidate by the time Super Tuesday came around. Despite this, many students believe it is important to be involved regardless.
“I think many candidates have some fantastic proposals for students. That’s why it is so important for young people to get involved in politics and advocate for their interests. To spread the word, I sent an email out to the Environmental Action Coalition (EAC) network, and I’ve been talking to lots of my friends about voting,” Sophomore student senate cabinet member Ben Menke said.
Many groups became involved in raising awareness for the Super Tuesday vote. Campus organizations such as EAC and student senate took particular interest in the primaries. Both individuals and organizations were active in the voting process on Super Tuesday.
“Overall, I think the environment on campus was pretty positive. In my experience over the last four years, Gusties seem to be very engaged in political culture and a vast majority of them seem to have participated once again with this Super Tuesday election,” Senior Coleden Wedge said.
Gustavus students’ activism in the primaries contributed to the results of Super Tuesday. Joe Biden won the primary in Minnesota as well as in Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, and Massachusetts. While Bernie Sanders won in his home state of Vermont, California, Colorado, and Utah.