After months of preparations, the 2024 presidential election is finally closing in on Election Day. For many, this will be their first time casting a ballot; others will be old pros. Regardless of experience, all elections are, of course, different — but this does not mean we do not have habits and traditions. During the 2020 presidential election, the Covid-19 pandemic halted the vast majority of election traditions at Middlebury, but this year, campus election events are back in full swing.
Middlebury will be hosting a screening of election coverage by CNN on election night on the big screen in the Grille in McCullough Student Center. Professor of Political Science Bert Johnson will be moderating and offering live analysis. Per tradition, there will be snacks, commentary and community.
This won’t be the first election-related event hosted on campus this semester. MiddVotes — Middlebury’s student-run nonpartisan voter registration and education organization — hosted debate watching parties for both the presidential and the vice presidential debates in Wilson Hall. Students gathered, popped popcorn and listened to Johnson and Professor of Political Science Matthew Dickinson provide commentary and analysis during commercial breaks.
Both professors stuck around throughout and after the debates to answer any questions students may have.
“What me and Matt try to do, when we’re calling it like that, is to give a little context, and to invite people to think a little bit more carefully about some of the claims that are being made on television — about what this or that means, or how to interpret something,” Johnson said.
Far from being polarizing, these events provide a space where casual politics can be engaging, productive and civil. Middlebury College Republicans President Joseph Jacobson ’27 attested to the inclusivity of MiddVotes’ events.
“I really think MiddVotes does a good job being objective and fair. It’s really an educational experience that they put on,” Jacobson said. “I’m honestly very happy just supporting that.”
Norah Khan, co-president of the Middlebury College Democrats, reflected on how she typically spends election nights.
“I usually hang out with my parents in my room refreshing the New York Times stats, like, every five minutes, because I’ve found that trying to sleep is futile. But now, I'm away from home, so I’m hopefully going to be surrounded by friends,” Khan said.
This feeling of community is a priority for those organizing political events on campus this semester.
These events drew the attention of both American and international students. Leah Micklewright, a South African native and an exchange student from the Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, has attended both debates and plans to attend the CNN coverage screening on the night of the election. Micklewright, who has attended both live debate screenings so far, reflected on her active engagement with these events.
“Out of personal interest, looking at the candidates and seeing where they stand is very interesting. My cousins are American, so I like just being able to understand and having a foot in the door when it comes to speaking about it,” Micklewright said.
Election night watch parties are a long-running tradition at Middlebury, according to Johnson.
“Me and Matt [Dickinson] did it in 2004 — I can remember the night. We’ve done it basically the same in the years since, although the technology has gotten a lot better,” Johnson said.
The event will start at 7 p.m., and go until the hosts and audience are kicked out of the building around 11:30 p.m, according to Johnson.
Dickinson, however, will be needed elsewhere — Johnson said that his colleague will be providing punditry on the local television station WXAC. He did the same in 2022.
Many students have more personal traditions for election night.
Jacobson likes to watch the election night coverage with a slice of pizza. Daniza Tazabekova ’26, president of MiddVotes, described her own routine.
“A personal ritual I’ve developed over the years is collecting ‘I Voted’ stickers. I want to create an ‘I Voted’ sticker book to memorialize my record of citizenship,” she wrote in an email to The Campus.
Whether students are far from home or still right here, traditions like these can be a fun way for students to personalize their engagement with upcoming the election.
Editor’s Note: Norah Khan ’27 is an Arts & Culture editor for The Campus.
