On Tuesday, Americans headed to the polls to cast their votes for governors, city councillors and ballot initiatives. Whether by making phone calls to New Jersey voters, knocking on doors in New York City or encouraging classmates to vote on College Hill, Brown students have taken action in the months leading up to last night’s elections.
The Herald spoke to student organizers to learn more about how their groups worked to get out the vote.
In late October, Brown Democrats Vice President Jacqueline Zhang ’27 led a self-funded student trip to New York City to canvass for New York state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign as the Democratic nominee.
Mamdani was ultimately elected mayor of New York City on Tuesday night, defeating former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent, and Curtis Sliwa, who ran as a Republican.
Mamdani’s campaign captured the attention of young voters, Zhang noted.
“I feel like in recent years, Brown students and students at large have lost hope,” Zhang said. “The Mamdani campaign, for me and a lot of people, is like a beacon of hope that we need right now.”
Most of the 20 Brown students who went on the canvassing trip are not originally from New York, according to Zhang. Although Vinh Pham ’28 hails from Atlanta, he felt it was still important to campaign for candidates who inspire him, he told The Herald.
Pham was enthusiastic about Mamdani’s rent stabilization and transit policies, which he described as “really important.”
In addition to canvassing, Brown Dems hosted weekly phonebanking sessions to support Democrat Mikie Sherrill, who was ultimately elected governor of New Jersey on Tuesday.
For Brown Votes, increasing voting accessibility and turnout was the primary focus ahead of the 2025 elections, according to Percy Unger ’26, a civic engagement fellow for the nonpartisan University initiative.
Leading up to Tuesday, members of Brown Votes tracked voter registration, reminded students about local elections and provided absentee ballot assistance. On Oct. 23, the group hosted a forum for candidates running to represent Providence City Council Ward 2.
After winning the Democratic primary for Ward 2 on Tuesday night, Jill Davidson ’89 will advance to the special election in December.
“We’re committed to voting at every level, whether that’s for your governor in New Jersey or for your City Council person in Ward 2,” Unger said.
She emphasized that Brown students — who are able to vote in Providence elections — could play a critical role in determining who represents Ward 2, which includes the Blackstone, College Hill and Wayland neighborhoods.
“It’s important to remember that we’re not just living in this University on a hill, and we should try to elect people whose values we share to impact the community we live in,” Unger said.
Lillian Gale ’28, co-chair of Brown Votes’s Advocacy Committee, shared a similar sentiment, noting that she was “honestly shocked by the apathy here” at Brown.
This semester, the Advocacy Committee aimed to educate students about the Ward 2 special elections to stimulate voter engagement. Gale said the committee organized a “dormstorm,” during which members slipped flyers containing election details under dorm doors.
On election day, Gale and other members of the Advocacy Committee set up a table at Faunce Arch to help direct students to a polling location near campus.
“With the very divisive political climate that we’re in, I think it’s even more important that people use their voice to advocate for what they want our future to look like,” Gale said. “At the end of the day, we are the future, and we need to recognize that now.
A representative for Brown College Republicans declined to comment on the club’s involvement in Tuesday’s elections.
Amber Marcus-Blank was a senior staff writer covering undergraduate student life. She is a junior from outside of Boston studying Political Science and Public Health on the pre-law track. She is interested in working in politics and journalism in the future and enjoys playing soccer and making playlists in her free time.
