American Studies alumna, Zara Afolabi, has recently returned from the opportunity of a lifetime, gaining the inside track on US politics with Hillary Clinton’s campaign team in the 2016 US Presidential elections.
Zara was selected to join the Forty Five for the Forty Fifth programme – a scheme set up to engage young British people aged 18-25 in politics. As one of 45 chosen representatives, Zara and her fellow ’45-ers’ were given the chance to gain hands on experience of a US Presidential campaign, learning in particular, how to motivate and mobilise young voters. Zara tells us about her amazing month in the US and how she plans to bring her learning back to the UK to inspire others to get involved in politics;
“I first found out about the scheme through an email from the American Studies department at Kent. I was intrigued by the idea of engaging young people in politics and the mention of spending time in the US campaigning was a dream come true. Anyone who has watched The West Wing will understand my excitement at the thought of becoming Josh or Toby for a few weeks!
The application process was quite straight forward with some initial background questioning and I then had to produce a short video answering three questions on why I wanted to take part in the programme. Without a doubt my degree in American Studies gave me with the kind of knowledge and experience they were looking for as well as the enthusiasm needed. My degree has given me the opportunity to study America in such a way that I have gained a deep understanding of US culture. Studying everything from Disney to the Cold War helped me to be more informed on the American psyche and certainly enhanced my own application. Clearly the passion I showed for my degree shone through in my interview allowing me to be successful in gaining a place on this programme.
On the 30th January myself and the rest of the 45ers left Heathrow Airport for the United States with our first stop in Iowa, we would then go on to Washington D.C and finally New Hampshire. Having lived in Wisconsin on my year aboard, I was slightly more prepared than most for the sub-zero temperatures, burger joints and expansive highways, yet Iowa like any new state had its fair share of surprises. It had been quite a surreal 24 hours in which I had travelled from London to Iowa, getting three separate flights to do so, and then found myself on the corner of 42nd and Lynde about to knock on my first door. Having never done door-to-door campaigning I was a little apprehensive and the Brit in me was thinking it would be rather rude to approach a house I did not know. But this was how they did it, and I was determined to play my part to make sure that Hillary was successful.
Upon our arrival the Iowa caucus was just one day away and headquarters were keen to make sure every registered voter was able to get out and do their part. Unlike anything we have in this country a caucus is an open vote in which voters show their support for their chosen candidate by physically standing or sitting in designated areas. What struck me the most was that once those who remained undecided were declared, the other parties then vied for their support. However the tactics of persuasion were not issues about the economy, national security or education but personal anecdotes. For instance; “Shelia, you need to come vote for Hillary cause our kids go to the same school” or; “John vote for Bernie cause you’re my neighbour” at the time it all seemed like a circus especially as the crowd were asked several times to line up to be counted one by one. Nonetheless it was an eye opening experience to a way of voting that, although not always accurate, is a homage to the forefathers of the American political system and is still held in high regard by many of its participants.
Once the caucus was over it was time to prepare for the next leg of our journey to Washington D.C. As a snow storm began in the earlier hours after the caucus we had a rather delayed exit out of Des Moines in which our pilot decided he “Just gonna go for it” despite facing adverse weather conditions. Having visited D.C previously I was excited to tick off the places I had not been able to do during my first trip. The city has become one of my favourite places to visit and this time did not disappoint as we were treated to a tour of the state capital as well as a visit the U.K embassy. (For those of you planning on any trips to the United States or will be spending a semester/year aboard there you need to visit Washington D.C. I could probably sit and write a whole article just on the Smithsonian or even the Lincoln Memorial but I won’t, for now anyway.)
After our short break in the capital it was onto New Hampshire for the first primary. Hours after we had landed in the capital we headed to HQ to get straight on with campaigning by partaking in telephone banking. The process is quite simple in which we were given a list of events that Hillary would be attending that weekend and then a separate list of registered voters phone numbers whom we would ask who they were voting for and if they would like to attend any of the events listed. I had found in Iowa that people were very open about who they would vote for so it came as quite a surprise when several people remained guarded about their decision. It seemed that many voters would make up their mind on the day or even at the polls themselves waiting till the very last moment.
The process taught me a lot about what is really important to voters. We can go over every statistic, place individuals in an abundance of demographics and attempt to predict every which way a voter will decide but none of that really matters. A voter is simple looking for someone who inspires them, who understand what is important to them. I am so very grateful for the opportunity I was given to understand, explore and educate myself on what campaigning in the US is really all about.
Later this month I will be attending an event called London for Hillary, an organisation that is working with Americans who live in London to rally support for Hillary back home with their friends and family, whilst at the event we will sharing our experiences of America and seeing what we can learn from them. I will also be looking to volunteer as part of the EU Referendum as I believe it is an important and historic moment in our lifetime that far too many people do not know enough about. Hopefully I will be able to take my experiences in the United States and apply them to make a change in the UK”.