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A man stands behind a podium talking to an audience

As it is election season, I thought it was a good time to talk about politics on Dartmouth's campus.

When I was applying to Dartmouth, it was in 2020, during an election year. I remember hearing about how important New Hampshire was in the primaries, and as I learned more about Dartmouth's participation and even potential influence on elections, it was just another reason that drew me to apply.

Because New Hampshire is one of the first states to hold primaries, the small state can have a large influence on who is ultimately selected as the candidate for each political party. Several news outlets have reported on Hanover's unique voting patterns as a college town and its influence on primaries with Dartmouth students voting (you can register to vote the day of elections in New Hampshire).

Students hold political signs
Dartmouth students campaigning for various politicians.

Many politicians have made their way through Hanover on the campaign trail, including Barack Obama, Nikki Haley, Joe Biden, and Andrew Yang, just to name a few. (A side note: one of my favorite Upper Valley restaurants, Jesse's Steakhouse, has a picture of Obama talking to community members in the restaurant from 2007 when he was first running as the Democratic nominee!). In the summer of 2023, I was on my way to class when I happened to see a Haley rally, which shows how frequently political figures come to campus! 

A photo of an email with an image of Mike Pence
A campus-wide email inviting students to an event with former Vice President Mike Pence.

The Dartmouth Political Union (DPU) does a great job in hosting people in politics throughout the year, not just in election season. One of my friends recently invited Cory Booker to campus and hosted a DPU dialogue with him that was open to campus and the community. 

A group of 6 people stand together.
Senator Booker with a group of five Dartmouth students!

In an era when there has been a lot of heated rhetoric in politics, in my opinion, I think Dartmouth is a campus where you can express your views and freely participate in debates and discussions. As I am from the battleground state of Georgia, I have witnessed several political events that lack the decorum of politics that I feel Dartmouth has. Comparing my experience at Dartmouth political events to the ones I attended in Atlanta, I see Dartmouth events as a space open for debate and dialogue.

If you are interested in politics, the Rockefeller Center has incredible funding opportunities for students to work for non-partisan groups as well as senators, representatives, and local government officials both in New Hampshire as well as across the country.  

Whether you want to be a Government major and love all things politics or are just interested in big elections, Dartmouth is a great place to experience election cycles and see US political figures!

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