Y4Hpa_pp_CourtesyOf_YaleCollegeDemocrats

Over fall break, Yale College Democrats visited Philadelphia to canvas for the Harris-Walz presidential campaign.

Students spent Saturday knocking on doors to reach voters in the city. They were joined by 15 other Democrat student organizations at other institutions, including the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University.

With the presidential election only a few weeks away, canvassing in the swing state of Pennsylvania has become a focus of presidential campaigns. Yale Dems saw it as an opportunity for students to engage in political grassroots work.

“Our goal specifically was to provide an opportunity for Yale students to engage with the election in a meaningful way beyond the canvassing for statewide and Congressional races that is more easily accessible in Connecticut,” said Janalie Cobb ’25, the president of the Yale Democrats.

On Friday, Yale Dems faced transportation complications and missed out on an afternoon of canvassing in Philadelphia. On Saturday, students canvassed around the city from the morning until evening and heard from speakers including Rep. Jamie Raskin, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, and Planned Parenthood president Alexis McGill Johnson. Students returned to Yale on Sunday morning.

“Our students alone knocked an estimated 2,500 doors in one afternoon, and the overall effort across the schools resulted in an estimated 10,000 door knocks,” Cobb said

The students canvassing in the Philadelphia area used the MiniVAN app — an application designed to outline target areas in the city, where votes have been historically split between the Democratic and Republican parties — to pre-select their canvassing destinations around and avoid areas that were predominantly set on voting Republican.

The MiniVAN application collects information from past canvassers and voting records to label city areas. After each stop during the canvassing process, volunteers input information to the app, such as where they are voting and who they are voting for. 

Despite Pennsylvania being split politically, student canvassers reported having friendly experiences with strangers.

“We weren’t treated as nuisances. Voters were excited to talk to us,” Esperance Han ’28, who attended the canvassing trip, said. While reflecting on her weekend in Philadelphia, she says people were generally thankful for the work that they were doing. 

Many students canvassed this past weekend for the first time. 

Some students reported mixed feelings when considering their responsibilities this election season.

“Honestly, it was scary at first. You really have to put yourself out there,” said Emery Cunningham ’28 when asked about his time canvassing. “At times, I wondered if I was the right person for canvassing, but the larger goal was far more important to me.”

In the face of one of the most highly anticipated presidential elections, responsibility was a recurring theme for many participants when talking about their weekends.

“I was a bit homesick before the trip and was looking forward to spending a lot of time back home,” said Cunningham. “However, when given the opportunity to make an impact on a historic moment, I felt it would be wrong to not participate.” 

Kamala Harris is the first woman vice president of the United States.

PABLO PEREZ