The USC Election Watch Party attracts enthusiastic Generation Z voters

It wasn’t just because of the pizza.

Students turned out in droves Tuesday to attend the presidential election night watch party hosted by the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and network with experts, including faculty who have covered elections and others who cover politics advised campaigns.

Among the audience was Emma Fallon, a political science student at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Fallon is a member of Generation Z and celebrated her first participation in a presidential election.

“I think this is probably one of our most important and historic races ever,” said Fallon, who is originally from Massachusetts. “There’s so much at stake here and I really wanted to come and engage with the community, watch with people, have conversations and, frankly, have some moral support while watching.”

In recent years, USC Annenberg has hosted an election results monitoring event, often with support from the Center for the Political Future at USC Dornsife.

Kambiz Akhavan, the center’s executive director, said he believes that while some people view young Gen Z voters as disengaged, those who come to these watch parties are active participants seeking meaning and connection. They, like every other voter in the country, want change for the better and hope for leadership that will make a difference, he said.

“The things they care about most are gun violence, climate change and whether they will get a good job when they graduate,” Akhavan said.

Akhavan said the USC Annenberg watch parties held around primaries and elections can generate positive engagement and sustained engagement.

USC Election Observation Party: “You Must Participate”

“Our system relies on full participation. It’s a system of self-government, and if we shut down and don’t govern ourselves, that means that those who have the resources or the time to invest their voice are disproportionately important, and that’s not just contradictory to that can what young people do “I don’t believe in it, but sometimes it can harm their values,” Akhavan said. “So they have to participate. They have the second largest generation in American history and have a lot of political power, but they are underused.”

Throughout the evening, Christina Bellantoni — director of the Annenberg Media Center, professor of professional practice and former political editor of the Los Angeles Times — hosted panel discussions with political experts, including writers whose previous work as journalists involved reporting on specific topics such as religion.

By interviewing other students or inviting experts, including advisors like Kelly Greco of USC Student Health, Bellantoni and her colleagues explored the heightened emotions and importance of the election as a shared moment for students.

For some Trojans, Tuesday’s election was the first in which they voted. Welela Solomon said she found the experience of voting and attending the watch party to be a community bonding moment.

“I think it’s super exciting,” said Solomon, a Seattle-area student studying health promotion in global health at USC’s Keck School of Medicine. “I also felt like I made a small difference as much as I could. But I also find it super encouraging to see other people doing the same thing.”

A sense of community at the USC election watch party

Gordon Stables, director of the School of Journalism at USC Annenberg, said students are inspired to attend events at Wallis Annenberg Hall because “they get a real feel for the campus community.”

He noted that many have a stake in the outcome of the election based on their own experiences and backgrounds, regardless of whether the students are first-generation students in the United States or students from abroad.

People may not think USC is a politically engaged campus, but the watch parties show otherwise, Stables said. He nodded to the audience of over 400 and said, “I think we have a lot of interest.”