By Erik Mauro
CollegeDemocrats at the University of Nebraska at Omaha are doing their best to helpget voters to the polls.
“While youth turnout is typically low, this election will likely be an exception,” said Nathan Johnson, UNO Democrats’ spokesman.
The early returns coincide with his thinking, as CBS News revealed early voting among millennials has increased in key states. Overall, 35 million votes have been cast early, breaking records.Americans are taking notice of the current political climate.
“Those early voters will have animpact on the election,” Johnson said. “UNO College Democrats have alreadyregistered dozens of voters and distributed hundreds of applications to vote bymail.”
Johnson said the group is waiting tosee the impact of its work.
“The initial signs look promising,but we will not know the full extent of our success until the polls close,”Johnson said.
UNO College Democrats intend to watch the election carefully and will root for Democrats from their respective districts at a UNO nonpartisan watch party.
“All elections are critical because they give citizens a chance to have their voices be heard,” Johnson said. “The citizens in our democracy can express their will and try to create a government that represents them.”
Johnson said the highest profile race is between Kara Eastman and Don Bacon for the 2nd Congressional District.
UNO College Democrats has a mission to unify young progressive students and create a forum to discuss current events,political topics, trends and ideas. They meet once a week in the Milo Bail Student Center on Wednesdays.
The group also works in conjunction with the Nebraska Democratic Party and the College Democrats of America to increase participation from young students and aid in the election of Democratic officials.
FiveThirtyEight and Politico predict the Democrats as the favorite to win the House this election. They give the Democrats a 7 out of 8 chance, or 88 percent to win the House majority. Currently, Republicans outnumber Democrats 235 to 193 in the House.
This election is important to UNO students for different reasons.
“In our history, I feel like we have never been more divided, and this election is important because we need to find a way to let everybody be who they are,” said UNO student Michael August Castillo. “The beauty of America is that we can have our own philosophies and express them.”
