Summer Campus Updates

Most universities are experiencing quiet summer sessions in June and July. There are no signs of the raging protestors who swept many campuses in the Spring over the war in Gaza. Will they pop up during the Democratic convention August 19-22?

While much of the energy in Washington DC is focused on the Democratic and Republican parties’ nomination and networking conventions (see below), there were some follow-up actions on campus issues worth noting.

Legacy admissions banned in DC: In July, the DC State Board of Education (SBOE) passed a resolution to “End Legacy and Donor Admission Preferences in Postsecondary Education.” It is the first victory by Georgetown University students who've been championing this effort for over two years,” said Cesar Toledo, Deputy Director of a DC advocacy group. But there has been no official action from Georgetown and other private universities in the area with regard to ending this lucrative practice.

Status of student loan forgiveness program: President Biden’s latest student loan forgiveness program is on hold again on constitutional grounds – the same ones that blocked the previous two programs. Basically, the President doesn’t seem to want to (or can’t?) explain how the funds to pay for the $1.2 billion will be shuffled out of existing federal agency budgets, as is required to fund executive orders. We also don’t know how it can be funded without the President printing new money or raising taxes – powers only Congress has.

Hispanics and the Election

Most of the news and energy in Washington DC this summer is focused on the Republican and Democratic parties’ election conventions, events and campaigns. 

Voting experts try to figure out how to get more support from growing voting blocs that can both raise big money and have targets to spend it on. Hispanic voters fit the bill. But if one thing must be clear to everyone by now about Hispanic voters, it is this: they are highly diverse. Polling shows Latino registered voters are increasingly leaning more conservative, even as Democrats push progressive policies onto their “Latino base.” Even Hispanic leaders were split over whether or not President Biden should step down from the presidential race due to cognitive issues – which he did on July 21st.

Rep. Raul Grijalva was the second elected official to call for Biden to step down; a few weeks later, however, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus leadership pressed Biden to stay in the race.

Marco Rubio was being considered as a finalist for Trump’s Vice President while Biden’s three top Hispanic point men, White House Adviser Tom Perez, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, pressed Biden’s agenda to Latino groups.

At the same time, President Biden had to cancel a face-to-face meeting with Unidos USA (formerly La Raza), where he was going to propose additional support for HSIs.

Some reports argue that the Hispanic demographic is changing fundamentally. According to the Wall Street Journal on July 17th, there is a noticeable shift of young Hispanic-heritage voters who “care more about the economic policies that will help them to get married and buy a home … than about the comprehensive immigration reform of their parents.” A comprehensive poll of Hispanic voters, conducted just days after the debate, found that their biggest concern was Biden’s “age” followed by the economy.

But in the days after the debate, Biden’s campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez,  said that voters were feeling disillusioned. “Getting the Democratic message out there - going negative on Trump and digging into the policy contrasts like abortion - is what resonates with them the most,” she said. “Latinos aren’t getting more conservative,” Rodriguez insists.

But others disagree. “It was wrong to think that minority voters are most open to the party that sees every issue through the lens of race and discrimination,” according to the WSJ. “U.S. born Hispanic heritage voters are more concerned with jobs and the economy.” Working Hispanic families are not like the Blue Collar Democrats of the past; perhaps they are becoming Blue Collar Republicans.

You Must be a Citizen to Have a Paid Campaign Job or Buy a Souvenir

Are you looking forward to working with pay for a political campaign this election year or even just buying official political party souvenirs? Warning. You must be a citizen in order to do these things. It’s a federal law few people have heard about.  

Standing in line to buy souvenirs inside the Democratic arena during the Democratic Convention of 2016, many attendees were surprised to be given a paper with a question and a warning. “Are you a US citizen? Any purchase here is considered to be a political contribution and forbidden to non-US citizens.” That goes for being paid to work a campaign job as well - one must be a citizen (with some exceptions). Also, only citizens can participate in decisions involving election-related activities.

Here is the text of a law most citizens have never heard of:

Federal law prohibits contributions, donations, expenditures (including independent expenditures) and disbursements solicited, directed, received or made directly or indirectly by or from foreign nationals in connection with any federal, state or local election. This prohibition includes advances of personal funds, contributions or donations made to political party committees and organizations, state or local party committees for the purchase or construction of an office building with funds under 11 CFR 300.35, and contributions or disbursements to make electioneering communications.

Foreign nationals are also prohibited from, directly or indirectly, donating to an inaugural committee; and it is a violation of federal law to knowingly accept such donations from a foreign national.

In addition, foreign nationals are prohibited from participating in decisions involving election-related activities. A foreign national may not direct, dictate, control or directly or indirectly participate in the decision-making process of any person (such as a corporation, labor organization, political committee or political organization) with regard to the person’s federal or nonfederal election-related activities.

Working on a campaign or a political event could well be a history-making experience this year. Enjoy it! Anyone can work as a volunteer.

References

FEC | Foreign nationals

https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/foreign-nationals/