Pictured above: Laura Shaw, a political science major, believes everyone should vote.
Courtesy of Laura Shaw
By Aubrey Carr
Local elections are coming up on Nov. 2 and USF St. Peterburg student Laura Shaw wants young people to get out and vote.
Shaw, a political science freshman, has been involved in politics the majority of her life. Some of her earliest memories are of her mother, an immigrant from Ireland, taking her along for door-to-door political campaigning, also known as canvassing.
“My mom has always been active in the Democratic Party. I’ve been going to meetings with her and canvassing since I was 13,” Shaw said.
From the early days of accompanying her mother, Shaw’s political resume has only grown.
Her experiences include interning for Patricia Sigman for Florida Senate, holding membership chair of Seminole County Young Democrats and being parliamentarian for Florida High School Democrats. She has recently become Deputy Supervisor of Elections for Student Government.
Shaw has also volunteered with the campaigns of Stephanie Murphy and Joy Goff-Marcil, two politicians who have gone on to become state representatives.
In the future, Shaw said she does not wish to run for any sort of political office. Instead, she hopes to climb the behind-the-scenes political ladder, working for higher level political candidates.
“My dream job would be to be a campaign manager on a federal Senate or House race,” Shaw said.
Shaw also said she has another, more personal, career goal.
“I have a deal with my best friend, Krunali. She’s in public administration and I want to work for her campaign.”
Shaw’s political experiences have kickstarted another passion: getting students to vote.
“It is important that everyone votes because politics affect us whether we like it or not,” Shaw said. “If you don’t vote, that’s a choice, and that’s a choice you’ll have to live with.”
Shaw stressed the importance of every election, rather than just larger federal elections.
“Every election has an impact on a person. We see the presidential election as a big one, but mayoral elections, state elections – all elections matter. Policy that can change people’s lives is enacted every day,” Shaw said.
Although she wants to see all students vote, Shaw emphasized the importance of voting for students who are preparing to enter the workforce.
“You want to have politicians that represent the kind of country you want to live in and you want to work in,” Shaw said.
According to Shaw, the voter registration process is not as hard as one may presume.
“I know a lot of students aren’t registered to vote … It’s not something that they prioritize but it is as simple as pulling out your driver’s license, going online to whatever county you live in and putting five minutes’ worth of information in, then you have that opportunity to vote,” Shaw said.
Shaw added that it is important for Florida voters to get a head start on their registration, as the state mandates all voters be registered at least 29 days before voting.
When asked why politics and voting are so important to her, Shaw’s answer was simple: “I want to live in a world where people have opportunities to do anything they want. I want people to live in a world where there are no major setbacks for people.”
