In the 2012 presidential election, Latah County was one of the two democratic counties in all of Idaho.
In a search for balance, the group Young Democrats University of Idaho are working to even out extreme political perspectives in the state by encouraging students of all political parties to get involved in politics.
“My favorite part of being a part of YDUI is raising the level of discussion on campus,” said Graham Perednia, senior political science major and YDUI member. “Right now, there isn’t that much, and if there is, it’s just hardcore libertarian or tea party. It’s very one-sided, and in any democracy the political discussion has to be more than one-sided. If it’s not, then it’s not a democracy.”
According to Perednia, there isn’t a single way politics don’t affect UI students. Perednia said most students general view of politics is that it’s just a group of white men arguing, but the things they argue about are things that will affect students.
“It’s important because it affects us,” said Estefania Mondragon, senior and president of YDUI. “For instance, me, I’m a first generation student. My parents are immigrants from Mexico. All my life, I’ve seen them deal with immigration issues. And I know I’m not alone, there are a lot of students whose parents have immigrated, and have dealt with that issue.”
Although YDUI has existed as a student organization for several years, the group increased its activity in the fall semester. The group seeks to help students become more connected with the community, and to help its members obtain political internships.
“We want students to get involved with politics,” Mondragon said. “Our huge thing is building a connection between students and the party.”
In an effort to achieve these goals, YDUI held a screening with the Palouse Peace Coalition on the documentary “Dirty Wars,” got involved in multiple multi-cultural organizations where they helped people register to vote, helped campaign for a few local politicians, collaborated with the organization Young Democrats of Boise State and are currently petitioning to raise the minimum wage in Idaho.
Earlier this semester, members of YDUI also listened to Idaho’s Republican Rep. Raul Labrador speak at a public hall.
“That was really cool,” said John Fish, senior public relations major and YDUI member. “It was good to see other people with different beliefs trying to be vocal about politics as well. It’s interesting to see how we’re all involved.”
To get students more involved, YDUI will hold registrations for a political training course called Politics A-Z. Registration will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday in the Gold and Silver room of the Student Union Building. Politics A-Z is a training course in political campaigning hosted by the Idaho Democratic Party.
“Let’s say you want to manage a campaign,” Mondragon said. “They teach you the basic skills. If you want to fundraise, they teach you how to fundraise. If you want to do fieldwork for the campaign, they show you how to do that. They show you really what it takes to run a successful campaign.”
Mondragon said she encourages students with any political interest to register for the program. She said campaigns require many different types of people from different majors, not just political science.
“If you’re interested in seeing how the world works or just seeing how Idaho politics works in general, then I would encourage people to look for this route,” Mondragon said.
Erin Bamer can be reached at [email protected]