Nawaal Nackerdien/ Fourth Estate
Prior to the 2024 Presidential Election, four student representatives sit down to hold a forum on the biggest issues
BY EMMA SCHAIBLE, STAFF WRITER
On Oct. 23 in the JC Atrium, seven student organizations came together to host the 2024 Election Forum. The forum presented the Democratic and Republican party perspectives on six policy and social topics in addition to questions submitted by spectators.
The forum was presented by Mason’s Student Government and Bridge at Mason, a non-partisan political organization seeking to create open conversations and communications, according to their Instagram page. A panel of students from both organizations moderated the debate between the Democrats at Mason and College Republicans at GMU.
Political director Olivia Nealon and Director of Communications John Dressel represented Democrats at Mason while President Ali Motemedi and Event Coordinator Blake Reed represented College Republicans at GMU.
“This is pretty much a GMU tradition,” said Dressel in an interview with Fourth Estate before the debate. While the debate is an annual event, this year has seen a turnout of “300+ audience members!” according to Bridge at Mason’s Instagram caption.
Kaylee Fernandez, the Chair of Government and Community Relations for Mason’s Student government, was the organizer for the debate.
“The purpose of today’s event is to just provide a space for peers to share with their fellow peers their perspectives…we feel that’s really important to create these spaces,” Fernandez said.
Weeks before the debate, student government sat down with both Democrats at Mason and College Republicans at GMU to discuss topics and debate structure. The five overarching topics included economics, climate, abortion, immigration and democracy.
From these topics, moderators asked questions on how each party would resolve issues that were significant to the student body, such as student debt relief, state regulated abortion-rights and the role of diversity, equity and inclusion in state-sponsored education.
Emma Schaible/ Fourth Estate
Freshman Neil Boppuri shared his opinions on the debate during an intermission, stating, “I think the debate was very mediocre at best.” He went on to criticize Democrats at Mason for “coming out swinging,” and College Republicans at GMU for their speaking style.
“I think the thing is, while in a debate setting, that makes sense, [but] this is meant for an audience, and it’s meant to convince people,” Boppuri said.
In their closing statements, each side invited anyone interested to attend their meetings. Democrats at Mason meet every Monday at 7:30pm in Horizon Hall room 1007. College Republicans at GMU meet every Wednesday at 8:30pm in Johnson Center meeting room D.
Despite their differences throughout the night, each side was able to agree on two topics: pancakes are better than waffles and it is essential to vote.
The deadline for registering to vote has passed, but students who live on campus can head to Merten Hall on Nov. 5 for same day registration.
To learn more about ways to get involved with the upcoming election, visit masonvotes.gmu.edu for voter guides and information on becoming a registered voter.
