The Senatorial election will take place Nov. 4. Students and faculty are speaking out about the upcoming Senatorial elections and stressing the importance of voting in this tight race.
Republican Thom Tillis, Democrat Kay Hagan, and Libertarian Sean Haugh are all candidates in the 2014 U.S. Senate elections. Tillis and Hagan are currently the prime candidates, running close in popularity in polls.
Steven Greene, a professor of political science, said control of the United States Senate could ultimately be determined by North Carolina’s Senatorial race, making this election critical.
“This is an important election,” Greene said. “That said, if Senate control didn’t depend on this seat, North Carolina is a closely divided state. We have had close elections in the past. So, any time you have a closely divided state and an election, it’s going to be a big deal.”
Political commentators have pointed out that while Hagan tends to advocate the standard Democratic platform, she is trying to stay away from appearing too closely tied to President Barack Obama and his policies. Hagan is also trying to highlight her work with veterans and the military, according to Greene.
Republican candidate Thom Tillis is standing on a standard Republican platform, consisting of calls for lower taxes and less regulation. Additionally, he is emphasizing a 7 percent pay increase for teachers. Through advertisements, Tillis has also emphasized the importance of family and education.
Both Tillis and Hagan have used accusatory tactics throughout their campaigns, airing advertisements designed to make the other candidate look bad to potential voters. Although this is a prominent tactic in political campaigns, few advertisements show what the candidates are planning to do for the state of North Carolina, Greene said.
There are many political groups on campus working to encourage students to support candidates and pre-register to vote, using tactics from standing outside the Brickyard with pre-registration forms to awareness events.
NC State’s College Democrats are hosting Youth Day of Action Saturday. Ben Stockdale, the president of the NC State College Democrats and a sophomore in political science, said young Democrats from all over the state will be coming to Wake County to knock on doors to encourage voters to support Democratic candidates in the upcoming elections.
NC State’s College Democrats are raising awareness on voting and their party’s candidates through “phone banks,” Stockdale said. Members of the College Democrats call people who are likely to vote and inform them on some of the major issues being discussed and decided by this election.
College Republican Chairman Bryce Rickenbaker spoke about the work NC State’s College Republicans are doing to get students talking about the upcoming election. They are implementing different events to promote votes for the Republican candidates through tabling in the Brickyard and other popular areas around campus, Rickenbaker, a senior in accounting, said. The goal of these events is to talk to different students about Republican candidates and encourage pre-registration.
There are many important things for students to remember in the upcoming election, according to Rickenbaker.
“Disregard the noise,” Rickenbaker said. “Don’t be satisfied with what you hear on political ads or read from blatantly biased sources. Go out and do your own research–evaluate the issues, examine the numbers for yourself and form an educated, well-founded opinion.”
Some students on campus have a strong interest in the election and have been staying informed on the campaigns.
“I am taking two political science courses, administration of justice and civil liberties in the United States. Unfortunately, we have not discussed the election given the nature of the two courses. From what I have gathered from my fellow classmates, however, the importance of this election is well understood,” said Austin Kendrick, a junior in political science and the vice-chairman of NC State’s College Republicans. “For my fellow Republicans in particular, the significance of being a targeted state in an election that is only six seats away from a Senate majority cannot be overstated.”
Oct. 10 is the last day to register to vote in the 2014 election, according to ncvoterguide.org.
Organizations and students groups have been handing out registration forms all across campus.
NC State College Democrats, College Republicans and professors want to stress the importance of students getting out and voting in this year’s Senatorial elections.
