Students associated with the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College are organizing New Hampshire's First "First-in-the-Nation-Primary" Student Primary.
On Nov. 28, the Kevin Harrington Student Ambassadors at the Institute of Politics will offer Saint Anselm’s nearly 2,000 students the opportunity to weigh in on the candidates at polling places throughout campus. This is the earliest known, large-scale mock primary vote to occur in the state.
The student primary follows the Saint Anselm College Issues Poll, which in October surveyed more than 1,500 likely New Hampshire Primary voters, who themselves will go to the polls themselves in about seven weeks.
Saint Anselm students are uniquely prepared to vote in the mock primary. The college’s Institute of Politics is a stop on the campaign trail for many presidential contenders. And throughout the fall, Institute programs have engaged the student body with educational programming. During Citizenship Week in September, the entire student body was offered the opportunity to register to vote, and to learn more about the candidates and the issues.
“We hope to collect a representative sample of our entire student body, representing students from throughout New England, and across the country,” said Katelyn Kerins ’09, one of the Student Ambassadors planning the event. “This vote should provide a good indication of how candidates’ messages are resonating with young voters.”
The results will be made public at 9 a.m. Nov. 29, at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics. The presentation will be open to the public. For more information about this event, please contact Student Ambassador Cory True, at ctrue@anselm.edu.