Election night brought about many feelings for students, especially anxiety and stress. Northwestern political clubs hosted election night watch parties across campus Tuesday night to follow the night’s results.
NU College Democrats, BridgeUSA and NU Political Union collaborated to host a watch party at the Technological Institute.
In another room in the building, NU College Republicans also hosted a watch party.
NU College Democrats co-President and Weinberg junior Clark Mahoney said events like these can make politics less intimidating for some.
“I think this casual connection to politics is really central because politics can seem big and scary to a lot of people, or just not their thing,” Mahoney said. “When it’s in this super casual manner, it does allow more types of people and a lot more people to connect with politics.”
In October, NU College Democrats invited CNN political analyst Van Jones as a guest speaker to discuss the presidential election. The club also hosted a canvassing event, busing to Wisconsin to encourage residents or hear about issues on their ballots.
The watch party broadcasted CNN election coverage on one screen while displaying live election map updates on the other screen. Organizers also provided pizzas, snacks and soda.
“It might be a tense night, or it can be a really great night,” Mahoney said. “But either way it turns out, we definitely want people to be together making connections or just having some dinner.”
Attendees said they believed that the watch party helped them make connections while learning about the election results in an inviting setting.
NU College Democrats member and Weinberg freshman Brandon Kopp said the watch party helped him reduce stress surrounding the election.
“I think it’s fun to watch with other people,” Kopp said. “It’s definitely less anxiety-inducing watching with other people versus watching alone in my dorm.”
Another NU College Democrats watch party attendee, Weinberg junior Lucas Lippeatt, described this year’s election as “deeply disheartening.”
Lippeatt cited climate change, gun control and abortion rights as the main issues that factored into his voting decision this election.
At the NU College Republicans watch party, organizers broadcasted results onscreen and provided pizza for attendees.
NU College Republicans President and Weinberg senior Jeanine Yuen said watch parties are important because they allow students to find like-minded individuals.
“It shows that there are people around that have similar, if not the same, viewpoints as you do,” Yuen said. “I know that is what is scary about participating in political discourse right now, because you never know, ‘Is there actually someone out there that thinks the same way I do, or what if I will be ostracized for thinking the way I do?’”
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