This past Tuesday, Lafayette Votes! joined forces with political podcast “Girl and The Gov” to highlight the importance of midterm elections.
Lafayette Votes! is a non-partisan organization created by Landis Center for Community Engagement Director Chelsea Morrese. Their partner, the “Girl and The Gov” podcast, was created by Samantha Kanter ’15 and co-hosted by Maddie Medved.
The podcast focuses on breaking down different political topics with a diverse mix of guest hosts. It has a contemporary perspective that lends itself to motivating college students.
The focus of the event was to promote the importance of voting as college students, and especially to highlight why this fall’s midterm elections are of extra importance. Kanter and Medved discussed topics such as how young people can keep updated politically, the barriers that women running for office face and the increase in political engagement over the last few years.
The hosts also explained the podcast’s internship and ambassador programs, which provide an outlet for people to network their way into politics.
“The main mission is to increase voter participation among Lafayette students,” Giulia Matteucci ’24, a student organizer of the event, said. Matteucci also serves as a brand ambassador for “Girl and The Gov.”
According to Matteucci, the local Senate races and lower ballot races are two important events to be aware of.
“There’s lots of political uncertainty. Midterms are important. We need to turn out. And it’s not only presidential elections that matter, especially in Pennsylvania, us being a swing state,” Matteucci said.
Another important discussion at the event was that of the future of politics, specifically though the lens of women in politics.
“[Samantha and Maddie] have a unique perspective,” Matteucci described. “And so do we, as women in politics.”
“What reforms can be made? How can we make sure that women who usually feel insecure, who think they won’t win, who think that their vote won’t matter, how can we make them motivated and make them think that they’re valuable to everything?” Matteucci continued.
Matteucci said that this partnership with “Girl and The Gov” can help emphasize the importance of midterms in a way that is digestible for the younger generation, and especially college students. She believes that it is a priority for students to be voting on Nov. 3.
The event was also meant to foster political conversations among students and motivate them to participate in voting initiatives on campus.
“People should get involved, just because it’s so important. And no one can really relate to college students like other college students,” Matteucci said.
Matteucci also hopes that other events about relevant political topics are held in the future, and that “Girl and The Gov” and Lafayette Votes! have further partnerships.
For future events, Matteucci would ideally like to have “Girl and The Gov” come to campus and interview Lafayette professors and students for a podcast episode. Essentially, the goal is to further conversations on campus regarding the importance of elections and political activities in general.
