Natasha del Amo had her first brush with politics during a mock election at her high school. Managing the pretend campaign, del Amo “fell in love” with the way politics combined history, current events and strategy.

“It’s not just what you read in the textbooks, it’s happening right now,” she said. “It’s history in the making.”

The senior, now studying political science and public relations at Syracuse, has spent the last two summers interning for political campaigns. This past summer, she worked for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, which she described as holding “an entry level job.” On a regular day, del Amo would take phone calls, support her boss or attend meetings at City Hall.

In the midst of a polarizing election season, students on both sides of the political spectrum are doing more than just checking a box come Tuesday: many volunteer or intern for political campaigns, using their passion for politics to get more involved.

Aubrey Levin, a public relations junior, spent her summer interning for Lois Frankel, congresswoman for the 22nd district of Florida, an experience she said combined her love of politics with her career ambitions. At the beginning of her internship, Levin sat down with a coordinator and talked about her hope to go into the PR field after graduation.

From there, the coordinator structured Levin’s internship experience to fit her wish list. She would spend her summer shadowing the press assistant, compiling clips for meetings and touring various government buildings in her hometown of Palm Springs. Levin said the entire experience helped her better understand the demographics of the district she lived in; many of whom were much older than she was.

“I offered that younger touch that Frankel doesn’t have but would need to run a successful campaign,” Levin said. Part of her duties also included showing the congresswomen how to Instagram and tweet.

A campaign filled with young, fresh minds is something many candidates look for, and one that junior political science major Taylor Pasquariello is participating in this semester. She first became interested in volunteering when Republican congressional candidate John Katko came to Syracuse University to give a speech. Two years later, Pasquariello has joined his reelection campaign, surrounded by many other students in local colleges, high schools and even middle schools.

Pasquariello said it’s nice “to be around other students who share similar views” and describes the dynamic of the campaign as “playful” and “energetic.” As a member of the field office, Pasquariello spends her time knocking on doors, making phone calls and cataloging survey data.

As a self-identified libertarian, Pasquariello said she shares many of the same views as Katko, who is a moderate Republican, such as his position on the Iran nuclear deal and lowered taxes. Though she admits many college students lean left, she hasn’t gotten much pushback from her classmates because “not many students care about campaigns and politics.”

“(Katko) wants to make the Republican party appeal more towards young voters,” she said, explaining that Katko has spoken out against Trump and is moderate when it comes to social issues.

Right now, millennials tend to focus on a candidate’s stance on said social issues, like gay marriage and abortion, simply because economic issues don’t affect them, Pasquariello said. Once college students graduate and begin to pay their own taxes, they are going to be more affected by who they vote for, especially on the congressional level.

What’s more, many young voters simply don’t understand the wide reach of politics and the effect it has on every aspect of life, from how you pay for school to where you live, Pasquariello explained.

Del Amo agreed.

“Economics don’t move (young voters) as much. That’s not something tangible,” she said. “But a lot of them know someone who’s gay or know someone who’s had an abortion.”

Millennials may be less likely to be involved in politics and vote because they feel disenfranchised by the system, coupled with the fact that many campaigns “don’t spend a lot of their recruitment efforts on young voters,” political science professor Danielle Thomsen said.

A third reason may just be the stigma behind participating regularly in politics.

“Voting isn’t sexy,” del Amo said.

On Tuesday, almost 150 million registered voters will have the chance to decide who will lead the country for the next four years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Though almost half the country is registered, many, especially in the younger demographic, will not turn out to the polls. Millennials have a history of expressing strong opinions and support for candidates, such as Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, but not following through with the vote.

However, del Amo is convinced the Democratic Party has been capturing young people’s attention, especially because of the “clear juxtaposition” between candidates. Del Amo said Trump’s presidency plays to “fear, sexism and racism” and that “has had a strong impact especially in our generation.” She feels personally responsible to vote because she is a woman.

“I’m a nasty woman because I have to be,” she said, referencing Trump’s dig at Clinton during the third presidential debate in October. “We can’t afford to be complacent.”

One thing Levin, Pasquariello and del Amo all agree on is the importance voter turnout among youngsters. They advocate that sitting by and being complacent isn’t enough.

“I always say this isn’t the election I waited my whole life for, and I wish I wasn’t having to pick the best of the worst,” said Levin. “But this is the first time we get to be involved and really see the impact of our choice, and this is a big thing to recognize.”

Published on November 6, 2016 at 9:25 pm

Contact Hanna: hrhorvat@syr.edu