Long papers, lack of sleep and busy class schedules aren’t stopping university students from rallying behind Sen. Bernie Sanders (I -VT) for the 2020 Illinois primary, in fact, being on campus has provided students a new channel to be politically active in the upcoming elections.

At the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Chicago, student-lead groups backing Sanders have been working tirelessly to launch him into the Democratic nomination and eventually the White House. For the most part, these groups are running phone banks, canvassing events or passing out informative flyers on campus; however, they have also crossed state lines to canvass in Iowa. Often times these groups receive little to no funding from their respective schools and usually feature names such as UIC for Bernie or UChicago for Bernie 2020.

Joseph Storm is a senior at UIC studying English and political science. Back in Oct. 2019, he and a group of friends launched the @uicforbernie Twitter page backing Sanders and his progressive agenda. They began working around campus to collect petition signatures to secure Sanders a place in Illinois primary ballot, but after securing his spot in Illinois ballot they set off on a multi-prong campaign, that includes door knocking and making phone calls to registered voters, to reach other students and nearby Chicago residents.

“It’s kind of interesting that so many young people would like this old man, but it’s because we see his authenticity. But I think his radical empathy about caring so much for each other is something we don’t see that much anymore,” said Storm, one of the main organizers for the UIC for Bernie group, about choosing to support Sanders over another candidate.

When former Democratic challenger and entrepreneur, Andrew Yang, held a rally at UIC, Storm and other members of the campaign set up outside the venue where the event was held and tried talking his followers to support Sanders instead. To turn supporters of different candidates the group emphasized sharing personal stories of political issues that affect them and why they support Sanders in the narrowing democratic field.

“I’m not going to start bashing their candidate in order to get them to turn away from their candidate because that will just make people dig in,” said Storm. “But Starting from a point of common ground based on strategy and empathy can really flip the needle for people.”

A member of UIC for Bernie stops by the information table to pick up a few flyers to pass out on their way to class. Photo by Abel Rodriguez.

Besides converting non-believers, Storm’s group has also taken to canvassing in the area surrounding the university. In recent weeks, UIC for Bernie has hosted several canvassing events in neighborhoods such as Pilsen, Humboldt Park and several North Side neighborhoods. And in the weeks leading up to the Iowa caucus Storm and several members of the UIC for Bernie cadre packed a few cars and drove to knock on doors in several Iowa districts.

UChicago for Bernie is based further south in the city centered around the University of Chicago and work in the Hyde Park area. Like the UIC for Bernie campaign, they too have been hosting canvassing events both on and off-campus. And in the weeks leading up to the Iowa caucus, they also made several canvassing trips into the Hawkeye State. According to Sam Mellins, a member of UChicago for Bernie, their final trip to Iowa brought more than 100 students from the University of Chicago to canvass for Bernie Sanders.

Since the Iowa caucus Mellins and the UChicago for Bernie group has turned their efforts back to Illinois. Through canvassing events, information tables on campus and regular interactions with students they’ve been trying to increase support for sanders, but they have also been aiding students with absentee ballots, early voting and voting registration. Using their network, Mellins and the UChicago group have also been canvassing for progressive congressional and state legislature candidates that they’ve endorsed. Currently, they are endorsing Robert Emmons Jr., a democratic candidate for Illinois 1st congressional district, and Robert Peters, current Illinois State Senator for the 13th district. Both candidates represent the area encompassing the University of Chicago campus.

“Besides getting people hyped about Bernie, we're also trying to get them to vote for the other two candidates that we've endorsed, Robert Emmons for Congress, and Robert Peters for State Senate,” Said Mellins. “Both of them are progressives in the Bernie mold, so when we meet supporters we tell them that if they like Bernie, we think they'll like Emmons and Peters as well.”

‘Bernie 2020’ sign set near the information table. Photo by Abel Rodriguez.

When asked what makes Sanders the idle candidate for college students both UIC for Bernie and UChicago for Bernie were unequivocal in their praises for the Vermont senator. Both Storm and Mellins cited Sanders’ proposal to eliminate college debt and his support for the Green New Deal as a major factor in polling well with younger voters.

“There's so many bright young people who would benefit immensely, both personally and financially, from a college education, but can't get one for financial reasons,” said Mellins about the benefit if universal higher education. “When my mom went to the University of Wisconsin, her out of state tuition was $300 a semester, which, adjusted for inflation would be $2,000 today. But now that same tuition is $18,000 a semester. So when Bernie talks about making public colleges and universities free, he's not talking about some radical, untested idea.”

Sanders’ youth support is not exclusive to Chicago, in fact, young voters have been a key reason Sanders has done well in the early primary elections. According to the New York Times, in Nevada, Senator Sanders received 65 percent of all votes from people ages 17 through 29; the candidate with the second-highest youth support in the same age group was Pete Buttigieg at 11 percent. And in Iowa, Sanders won 50 percent of the votes from people under the age of 30, according to the LA Times.

While his support among younger voters is astronomical compared to other democratic challengers, it is also a testament to the increased voter turnout among younger generations. According to a study conducted by Tufts University that spanned 42 states, voter turnout more than doubled between the 2014 and 2018 midterms elections for college students in both two and four-year institutions. Historically, young voters have been the least represented electorate in the country.

Universities For Bernie: How Chicago Students are Mobilizing Behind Bernie Sanders