A look inside Duke students' election night plans

Twenty years from now, when you look back on this election—thinking about the victory of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris or Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump—will you remember where you were when you heard the final results?

Although the presidential victor may not be announced Tuesday evening, Duke students will consolidate their watch night plans, ranging from attending student organization viewing parties to small gatherings with their friends.

Whether your plans are finalized or still in flux, take a look at how Duke students plan to spend their election night as they wait to see which candidate will emerge victorious.

“I think it’s just a very unique experience to see democracy and history unfold,” senior Timothy Gunawan said of the election.

Some students choose to attend POLIS: the nonpartisan Center for Politics and Duke Votes party watching in the Sanford School of Public Policy in the Rhodes Conference Room. The event starts at 7:00 PM and includes food and games.

Freshman Nathaniel George, program officer for the POLIS Student Committee Board of Directors, emphasized the importance of promoting mature, civil discourse as results come in.

“I’m sure there will be a party. “I am sure there will be disagreements over the outcome of the election,” he said. “But I think ultimately it’s important moving forward as a country … to have moments of bipartisanship where we can bridge the gap.”

But for students who want to come together with students in support of a specific candidate, Duke’s student political organizations also host their own watch parties.

Duke Democrats will be host the event at Edens 1C from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., while Duke Republicans will be co-hosting with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Durham and Orange County Republicans at Bralie’s Sports Bar 2 from 7 to 11 p.m.

As a public policy major, freshman Sophie Brynes said she is “very interested in politics” and wants to see the results pour in, along with others who are also “intensely about politics.”

However, other students, including Gunawan, are planning a more informal gathering with their close friends.

Gunawan, co-president of the Visions of Freedom Living Learning Community, said he is planning an informal gathering for his LLC and some of his friends. He expressed a preference for a more relaxed space, as opposed to club events where he is “with (his) friends, rather than a bunch of strangers.”

Junior Alexandria Thomas echoed Gunwan’s sentiment, noting the benefits of watching the election with friends.

“It can always be fun to joke and say things within a close group,” she says.

Students also indicated on which news channel they would like to stream the results. Television channels such as CNN do host special programming for election night, while websites like the New York Times create special graphics and modeling for expected results.

While Brynes plans to watch multiple channels, Gunawan expressed indifference about which network to follow.

“All networks should be relatively similar,” Gunawan said. “If you remember in 2020, even a news outlet as partisan as Fox News, which clearly has more Republican (and) Trump leadership leanings, was the first to call Arizona for Biden.”

Depending on the outcome of the election, students have prepared how they want to respond – especially if the outcome does not go as they hope.

“(I)m trying to hope for the best, hoping that the candidates I voted for get elected,” Thomas said. “But I also prepare for the worst, and just like prepare myself mentally and emotionally.”

Brynes believes that realizing that the election is not entirely in her control is the best mindset.

“Whatever’s going to happen, it’s going to happen, and unfortunately it’s out of my control, so I’m trying to keep that in mind,” Brynes said. “Stay on top of the news and wait for it to happen.”

Dylan Halper

Dylan Halper is a freshman at Trinity and a staff reporter for the news department.

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