{"id":508302,"date":"2026-10-26T10:44:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T10:44:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/508302\/"},"modified":"2026-10-26T10:44:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T10:44:15","slug":"debate-watch-party-promotes-informed-voting-and-civil-discourse-the-oakland-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/508302\/","title":{"rendered":"Debate Watch Party Promotes Informed Voting and Civil Discourse \u2013 The Oakland Post"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Center for Civic Engagement (CCE)<\/a> hosted a Senate Debate Watch Party<\/a> Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 6 p.m. in The Habitat at Oakland University, bringing students and community members together for an evening centered on political engagement, informed voting and respectful discussion across party lines.<\/p>\n

The community event featured dinner, a Kahoot game focused on voting information and a watch party for the Senate debate, which began at 7 p.m. The event was co-sponsored by College Democrats<\/a> and College Republicans<\/a> of Oakland University, Student Congress<\/a>, Phi Sigma Alpha, the political science honors society<\/a>, and the Pre-Law Club<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Attendees received red and green flags to indicate disagreement and agreement with candidates\u2019 statements, encouraging audience participation throughout the debate.<\/p>\n

Attendees were asked about their reasons for attending the watch party, the candidates they supported and the issues most important to them in the election. Responses reflected a range of political perspectives, with voting, health care, government accountability and economic concerns emerging as key topics.<\/p>\n

David Dulio, chief community engagement officer and director of the CCE, said the watch party provided an opportunity for students to engage with political issues while building a sense of community.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great to have students gather to not only hear from the candidates but to do so in a way that creates a sense of community,\u201d Dulio said.<\/p>\n

Similar gatherings have been part of the university\u2019s efforts to encourage civic engagement for years, Dulio said. The events demonstrate that people with differing opinions can gather, listen and discuss disagreements respectfully.<\/p>\n

Sophomore Maddie Derian attended to learn more about the candidates and the electoral process.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m here to learn about the political candidates and become an informed voter,\u201d Derian said.<\/p>\n

Morgan Moeller, secretary of College Republicans, emphasized the importance of voting regardless of political affiliation and encouraged respectful conversations among people with differing perspectives.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to support voting, no matter who you\u2019re voting for or what side you voted into. But mostly, I\u2019m here today to promote a civilized discourse,\u201d Moeller said.<\/p>\n

Moeller also highlighted the importance of maintaining relationships despite political disagreements.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can disagree, we can have different ways of wanting to solve the problem, and still be friends, and work together,\u201d Moeller said.<\/p>\n

Dulio emphasized the importance of approaching political conversations with respect and understanding opposing viewpoints rather than attempting to change others\u2019 minds.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we start the discussion with the intention of learning about how someone thinks about an issue rather than trying to change their mind, it\u2019s more likely to be productive,\u201d Dulio said.<\/p>\n

Evan Bruce, a member of College Democrats, discussed health care, government corruption and the war in Gaza as factors influencing political views.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think, especially, healthcare is very important. Standing up against a lot of the corruption that we\u2019re seeing in the government is important,\u201d Bruce said.<\/p>\n

Bruce expressed support for Abdul, citing positions on Medicare for All and campaign finance reform. Bruce also criticized the influence of corporate lobbying and special interests in government.<\/p>\n

Community member Diane Kaszeta expressed concerns about political influence and the economic challenges facing younger generations. An independent voter, Kaszeta identified affordability, employment and housing costs as factors influencing political views.<\/p>\n

\u201cI worry about the younger generation and what we\u2019re leaving them,\u201d Kaszeta said.<\/p>\n

Kaszeta cited rising housing costs, gasoline prices and everyday expenses as concerns, particularly regarding young people\u2019s ability to find jobs and achieve financial stability. Kaszeta also criticized corporate influence in elections.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think as American people, Citizens United was the worst thing that happened to this country,\u201d Kaszeta said.<\/p>\n

During the debate, candidates discussed the economy, tariffs, the war in Iran, immigration, health care, Social Security, public safety, artificial intelligence, the auto industry, education and voting laws. The candidates\u2019 differing positions allowed attendees to consider competing approaches to issues affecting Michigan and the country.<\/p>\n

The debate concluded with rapid-fire questions and closing statements from both candidates, followed by applause from attendees.<\/p>\n

Dulio said the CCE provides students with opportunities to learn about politics and participate in the democratic process. In addition to events such as the debate watch party, the center offers programs and resources related to political issues and voting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe aim to be a resource for students to provide what they need to take an active role in their democratic system, should they so choose,\u201d Dulio said.<\/p>\n

The watch party highlighted the importance of informed voting, civic engagement, and constructive political dialogue.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Student and community participation demonstrated how political events can encourage learning about candidates and respectful discussion across party lines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) hosted a Senate Debate Watch Party Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 6 p.m.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":508303,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[143,145,144],"class_list":["post-508302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/508302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=508302"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/508302\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/508303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=508302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=508302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=508302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}