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Daniel Lambert/MEDILL
Dan Seals campaign volunteer Owen Marsden, 17, works to sign up interested students at an event at Harper College in Palatine.
For young volunteers, race in 10th is about more than just politics
by Daniel Lambert
Oct 29, 2008
Related Links
Kirk on the IssuesSeals on the IssuesWhere to VoteThe Candidates on the economy and paying for college
The economic crisis and the job market
- Seals: “In the short run we can pass the stimulus package that’s expected to create about 100,000 jobs. In the medium run pursuing energy independence has the additional benefit of creating more jobs. What I propose we do is decrease tax subsidies to the oil industry and put that toward researching clean tech, and the estimates are that we can produce three to five million green collar jobs.”
- Kirk: Eliminate wasteful government spending and balance the budget by reforming the earmark system. Kirk also voted to increase child tax credits and to permit small businesses to join health insurance coalitions in order to lower premiums.
Paying for college
- Seals: Plan focuses on reforming the tax code. “We have 12 different tax exemptions today, they have different standards and applications, I want to simplify them into one because almost a third of those who qualify are taking the wrong incentive or none at all,” Seals said. He also proposes making the credit partially refundable to benefit families with no income tax liability.
- Kirk: Voted in favor of the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008 and the College Student Relief Act in order to reduce borrowers' reliance on private college loans, cut the interest rates on subsidized student loans in half -- from the current 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent -- and give parent borrowers more time to pay off federal PLUS college loans. He also supported the College Opportunity and Affordability Act to encourage colleges to limit price increases for tuition, restore accountability to student loan programs, and simplify the student aid application process.
Sources: Candidates Web sites and direct quotes
As Election Day gets closer the tone of the race often gets more volatile, but for a group of young volunteers in the 10th District, politics is about a whole lot more than partisanship.
Dan Seals (D-Wilmette ) and incumbent Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Highland Park) are engaged in a tight race for the congressional seat in their north suburban district. Ad buys from their respective national parties have flooded the airwaves, and a string of endorsements on one side, coupled with polling momentum on the other have made for one of the closest races in the Chicago area.
It is young volunteers, some of whom can’t even vote yet, that are providing an important push in the closing days of the race. The volunteers expressed strong support for their candidate’s stance on issues, but at the heart of their efforts is a desire to get involved in the process and encourage others to do the same.
“I think more young people are getting more politically aware,” said Janie Schumacher, 19, a Seals volunteer. “I know that as I’ve talked to people at school, they are much more receptive to engaging in conversation about congressional candidates as well as the presidential candidates. It’s very much on everyone’s mind.”
Aaron Goldstein, a freshman at American University in Washington, D.C., spent many of his high school years as both an intern and staffer for Mark Kirk’s campaign. He also sees this election as a unique one for young voters.
“I think there is more interest in this election than in past ones, because Barack Obama has directly targeted some of his issues toward young people,” Goldstein said.
Goldstein does not see this focus on Obama’s youth outreach as a problem for Kirk. He said that many people in the district cast split tickets and Kirk’s history with issues not normally associated with Republicans would be to his benefit.
Seals has noticed an influx of both new voters and young volunteers this election.
“I would argue that it hasn't been since the ‘70s that we have seen young people, young progressives, come out,” Seals said. “This time, hopefully not for the last time, young people are coming out and their voices are going to be heard.”
The Kirk campaign did not respond by deadline.
All of the volunteers named the economic crisis and college affordability as important issues in this election.
“My dad was unemployed over the summer, he found work thankfully, but the economic crisis is a major issue,” said Owen Marsden, 17, a student at Fremd High School and Seals volunteer.
“I’m extremely disappointed that I can’t walk into a booth and vote for Barack Obama,” Marsden said. “That’s another reason that I got involved: To say I didn’t cast a vote, but maybe I got 10 or 12 in there.”
Personal life experiences also shape the issues young people care about.
“My sister has cerebral palsy and she passed away, but embryonic stem cell research, I would say, is a crucial issue. I want to see Democrats in Congress turn the tide on that one,” Marsden said.
College affordability was also a major source of concern.
“I am very conscience of the education issues and how costly college is,” said Schumacher who is a student at Harper College.
While political issues and beliefs are crucial to the young volunteers’ passion for the campaign, the benefits they’ve gained and the personal growth they’ve been given have had a huge impact.
“I think I’ve gained an appreciation for all different kinds of viewpoints,” Marsden said. “I’ve come into contact with a lot of different people who I wouldn’t normally come into contact with. I have heard from people all across the political spectrum, and I’ve really learned that everyone has something to contribute, everyone has something to say that’s valuable.”
Goldstein, like other volunteers, recounted the professionals skills gained: communication, organization, teamwork. But for each young person there is something deeper that comes with political involvement.
“It showed me having more of a public life can really benefit the common man,” Goldstein said.
Similarly, Schumacher said if Seals didn’t win “that would be awful, but I’m doing this because I believe in what he stands for … I will for the rest of my life try to work on political campaigns and support candidates that I believe in.”
