In the United States, every four years right before the presidential election, the two major political parties hold a four-day convention within a month of each other; The Republican National Convention (RNC), and the Democratic National Convention (DNC). During these conventions, topics such as vision and goals for the future, strategy, and party unity are discussed to motivate voters.
These conventions have been taking place routinely for over a century and have been a valuable component of the American political process by allowing each party to show viewers a collective image of their party. This year, the RNC took place in Milwaukee Wisconsin from July 15 to July 18 and the DNC in Chicago Illinois from August 19 to the 22.
Being a Chicago native, I was fortunate enough that such an important political event was taking place in my home town. With an opportunity such as this, I decided to take full advantage and sign up to volunteer. While I am sure a similar sentiment is echoed every four years, I truly do believe that this election cycle is a transformative one regarding the future of the United States.
The Republican party is in an arguably divisive state, with very few prominent Republicans and former staff members of the Trump administration speaking at the RNC, and the United States having its second woman nominee for president at the DNC. That being said, these conventions are incredibly important to all Americans in regard to the future of the country, and with this article, I hope to better explain the chaos of American politics, as well as bring you along for an inside view of what happens when they take place.
Breaking the conventions down a little more, the primary participants in the conventions are the delegates. These delegates are individuals who are selected to represent their state and choose the party's presidential nominee during the convention. At the DNC there were over 4,000 delegates (for more information, this Times magazine article provides an excellent breakdown of the technicalities of the conventions https://time.com/6998860/conventions-republicans-democrats-explained/). After my background check was complete, I was sent a link where I was able to select my shifts. And I am not exaggerating when I say that it felt like being on Ticketmaster. Volunteer spots were being snatched up left and right, with the more coveted spots inside the convention building being filled up within minutes. It is almost comical to think of eager volunteers right in front of their computers waiting for a link to allow them to sign up for an unpaid position. Yet I was a part of it.
After I had selected my shifts, I had a volunteer training session at O’Hare airport where I would be told my tasks and given a breakdown of what to expect. I quickly found out that most of the volunteers were above the age of 55. Retirees who I assume have too much time on their hands. It was very commendable to see people more on the elderly side commit their time to something so historic.
On one volunteer day, I found out that a good portion of them flew in from out of the city and spent money from their pocket only to volunteer. Their commitment was very admirable. On my first day at Chicago’s O’Hare airport, I was tasked with meeting and greeting delegates and assisting them with where to go. That job involved standing in one spot for roughly 5 hours and also helping people who were not delegates, but tourists who just wanted to find the best way to get into the city. Among these people were an Australian couple, a man from Nicaragua who didn’t speak English, and a woman from Wisconsin who asked to borrow my power bank. Yes, I did indeed interact with a few delegates, but I did find the position a tad underwhelming.
My second day volunteering was a lot more interesting. The DNC and RNC rented out a massive conference building where the delegates would later convene to attend meetings and caucuses. This is one of the more coveted volunteer positions that I was fortunate to land. I went to the McCormick Center (the conference hall where the DNC was taking place) and was tasked with Stage Logistics. I found out that much like my previous job, I was also standing in one spot for an extended amount of time. However, instead of watching people claim their luggage and simply exit the airport, I was able to watch the actual caucasus as they took place. I stood outside the room and managed the influx of people as they entered. Perhaps not too thrilling, but still a step up from the airport.
The first caucus that I worked at was the Native American Caucus where various native Americans spoke about issues concerning the community, voter accessibility laws, and the impact of a Harris presidency on native people. Among the speakers was New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, who ran for president in 2020. When Mr. Booker entered the room, I was starstruck, and the gravity of the work I was doing and what I was experiencing weighed down on me. Cory Booker was extremely gracious and took a selfie with almost every volunteer who was there (including me). His speech was entertaining and inspiring, about his experience as Mayor of Newark New Jersey, from his time as Senator to his experience under the Obama administration, Trump, and Biden, and his hopefulness for Harris. But the true highlight of the caucus came when one of the other volunteers told me that in a few minutes, the door of the conference room had to be shut, as Vice presidential nominee Tim Walz was due to enter the caucus and speak. We soon shut the door and within a few minutes, the crowd at the Native American caucus immediately rose to their feet in applause at the sight of the potential soon-to-be Vice President.
It was an incredibly inspiring moment. A Native American delegate in front of me recorded Walz’s speech with tears in her eyes as he spoke passionately about the Native American community in Minnesota and the promises of the Harris Walz campaign. After Walz had left, it was time to get the room prepared for the LGBTQ+ caucus that would be taking place thereafter. After more managing and question asking and question answering, I was able to watch another round of terrific speakers talk about the history of LGBTQ+ rights, the goals to strive for in the future, and the hopes of the community. And once again, Tim Walz entered the room to speak. After another massive round of applause, Walz spoke in his famous midwest-styled humour about the advancement of rights, pressing issues, the ‘weirdness’ of the Republican party (he even made sure to clarify that it was their policies that he deemed as weird, not Republican’s being weird themselves), and further amplified the Harris-Walz campaign.
It was truly an incredible moment.
For my third and final day volunteering, my shift was at Chicago’s Westin Hotel for Bus Operations. This task consisted of tallying the number of individuals that boarded each bus and typing the recorded sum down on this little app, along with the bus number and bus route. It was a very repetitive task which also happened to involve a lot of standing. By the end of my volunteering, I watched the televised part of the convention at home with my parents, where prominent party members such as Michelle Obama, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Hillary Clinton praised and lauded Kamala Harris and spoke of her political record.
Having a glimpse at the behind-the-scenes action of this massive event brought me a profound sense of how real everything is. Watching politics unfold behind a television is nothing compared to seeing it before your very eyes, where it is no longer a far-off world but a tangible reality. With news channels and social media, it almost makes you forget that these individuals are existing in the same world as you, and more importantly, are making decisions that have the potential to impact your life directly.
As the days until the presidential election tick by, the world will hold its breath until the fate of the United States is revealed. With an upcoming debate on October 1, both candidates can make their case to the American people as the best option to lead the country forward.
Here at the Maastricht Diplomat, we will continue to keep our readers updated on any developments in the U.S. presidential election while providing our insights.
We hope to have you along for this journey.
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