Stanford International Freshmen Prepare for Elections

As Election Day approaches, many students are preparing to vote. newsletter from absentee voting and voice acting their predictions. But as many international freshmen prepare for their first U.S. election, they note that the impact is not just domestic.

While discussions on campus largely focus on civic engagement and the impact of elections on domestic politics, international students approach elections from a global perspective.

“This election affects everyone,” said Alexia Papageorgiou, 28, who co-founder Teens for Democracy is a teen initiative to engage in deliberative democracy. “There is a misconception that, as a rule, this will not affect national team players. But I think the American election will affect all parts of the world.”

Papageorgiou from Greece actively participated in the elections. She attributes her participation to her passion for politics and says the outcome could have an impact on Greece, which is currently locked in a territorial dispute with Turkey.

Elections are also important for Komi Ergashev ’28, who is from England. Ergashev believes that the result will affect not only the war in Ukraine and the conflict between Israel and Gaza, but also his further development at Stanford and beyond.

“The president elected now will be—at least for the class of ’28—the only president to have a full degree,” he said.

Ergashev said it was a unique opportunity to be at an American university surrounded by politically interested people during an election year.

“Since I’ve been an outsider to this (atmosphere) all my life, it’s very interesting for me not only to look inside, but also to now be in the center of it,” Ergashev said.

November 5 Stanford students will accept the fourth annual Democracy Day, a campus-wide celebration of events related to democracy and elections. The Bechtel International Center will host the second-ever Stanford International Democracy Day Luncheon, where democracy scholars will discuss the state of global democracy and the U.S. election.

Papageorgiou said she’s excited to get into the action. Hoping to make the most of the moment, she joined the Stanford Democracy Day organizing committee and enrolled in two election-related courses: SOC 68: “Election 2024: Democracy on the Ballot” and SOC 9N: “Election 2024, Understanding the National, Participating in elections.” Local”.

However, not all international students are so interested in the elections.

Spurti Nimbali ’28, originally from India, said the election “is not a topic of conversation that I would willingly participate in.”

Similarly, Taarush Grover, 28, who is also from India, said the election had only a “moderate” impact on him and other international students.

“It may affect me, but as a national team player I have less of a say,” he said. “So less input, less output.”

Grover said he doesn’t follow political news and likely won’t attend Democracy Day. According to him, elections are not the main topic of discussion between him and his friends.

Despite her limited involvement, Nimbali remains interested in learning more about the democratic process in the United States and seeing its results.

“I’m definitely interested in the outcome of the election because I think it will definitely play a role when it comes to immigration law,” she said. “I’m definitely here on a visa, so I’m worried about what happens in the election.”

Linara Gunasekera ’28, who moved to Sri Lanka after growing up in Boston until she was eight, occupies the unique position of an international student with a voice.

“It’s really nice to be able to vote,” she said. “Being able to vote as an international student who hasn’t lived here but has citizenship makes me feel part of the community, makes me feel like I can really make a difference and belong here.”

Gunasekera said elections have become more important to her since she arrived at Stanford. With her friends, she often discusses the implications for immigrants and people of color.

Papageorgiou said her political activity has been limited because some states do not allow international organizations to intervene. She tried to be as involved as possible and conducted six phone banking sessions for Kamala Harris, debating Republicans and undecided voters in Pennsylvania. Instead of voting, she encouraged as many people as possible to vote.

“I think (my friends) are tired of me telling them about the election,” Papageorgiou said. “I show them the polling places every single day just to encourage them to get out and vote.”