Students Organize Watch Parties for Midterm Elections

On Tuesday, Nov. 3, millions of Americans voted in a historic midterm election that resulted in sweeping Democrat victories and seat flips across the nation. On campus that evening, student groups organized events to watch the results roll in throughout the night. 

In Tishler Hall, the Wesleyan Democrats (WesDems) hosted election coverage from 7:00 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., where dozens of students gathered for pizza, election bingo, and shared celebration. The event marked the end of months of community organizing for the club, including multiple canvassing trips to New York and phone banking for several Democratic candidates. 

Evan Kendall ’30 is a member of WesDems and spoke to The Argus during the event as polls were still coming in. Kendall shared what the atmosphere was like at the beginning of the night.

“Right now, this is nerve-wracking,” Kendall said. “It’s such an important election…it will fully shape what happens to our country in the foreseeable future. So it’s nerve-wracking, but it’s also exciting because the polls have been good so far. It’s been a lot of work, and it’s very exciting to see all of this finally culminate.”

As Kendall spoke, the broadcast called Georgia’s Senate race in favor of Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff. Cheers erupted in the lecture hall and students updated their bingo. 

Attendee Humzah Ladiwala ’29 and member Catherine Hughes ’29 spoke about their experience at the watch party and reactions to the elections. Ladiwala is not a member of WesDems, but expressed his gratitude for the event and emphasized the importance of engaging with current events. 

“I think to be here, sharing the anxiety, sharing the joy, and maybe sharing some disappointments, and having a community experience is going to do more good than harm,” Ladiwala said. “I think like we all have a stake in it in some way, shape, or form.”

Hughes agreed, adding that watch parties help promote awareness of politics across the nation as well as help engage students not actively involved in political efforts.

“It’s important to bring awareness to it,” Hughes said. “Also, a lot of the people [at the event] aren’t members of [WesDems] so it’s nice to see how good of a turnout we got…it’s nice to see how many people are engaged with the different races, even if they don’t have personal stakes in them.”

Across Church Street, the Government Department hosted a nonpartisan watch party in the Frank Center for Public Affairs. Students and professors gathered from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. with catered food and snacks to watch the first reports from the polls.

Patrick Brady ’27, a member of the Government Majors Committee, helped organize the event. 

“A lot of people have said that this is the most important election of our lifetimes, or most consequential, and you kind of hear that with every election,” Brady said. “But with all of the things going on in the country right now, this is quite a pivotal moment. People seem lively and engaged, which is really the whole point of this event. [Just] to get people talking about it.”

Brady also shared that the Government Department will be hosting similar events in the future to break down elections and promote engagement from students. 

Sangye Sherpa can be reached at ssherpa@wesleyan.edu.