The ballot box and beyond: USN Seniors civically engaged

By Kalen Russell, Assistant Director of Communications & Marketing

As Tennessee voters prepared to decide on the three state constitutional amendments on the November 3 ballot, students in Cameron Parsons’ Advanced Topics: American Government and Politics class prepared mini campaigns, researching one of the three amendments and making a strong case for their assigned side.

“This is training students to dig a little deeper and form their own opinions, but fundamentally, I ask them to think about what values are in tension with each of the constitutional amendments and how reasonable people could disagree,” said Parsons.

Students were instructed to identify the amendment's advocates and their motivations, the values tension, what passage and non-passage would mean, offer a recommendation, provide open-ended discussion questions, and produce a voting guide.

Elisabeth Crane ’27 and Luna Kear ‘28 presented in support of Amendment 3, Marsy’s Law, and noted that the central tension is that a party gains victims’ rights at the onset of a trial, meaning the defendant is considered guilty until proven innocent.

Charles, Lexa, and Mohraeel presented in support of Amendment 1, granting judges the ability to deny bail for certain offenses. The students in this group held differing stances, but each person maintained a high regard for their group members' perspectives.

“I think it’s better to have different opinions in one group. We had to search more, and our project is more well-resourced on both sides,” said Lexa.

“I respected Lexa’s opinion, and she respected mine, and I think that Lexa did a really good job making her point while having to argue our side,” said Charles.

Sebastian Johansen ‘27, Lainey Theobald ‘27, and Molly O'Loughlin ‘27 argued against Amendment 3, Marsy’s Law.

 

“We’re treating an accusation as if it is already a confirmed crime. It looks pretty from the outside, but when you really look into it, there are too many unintended consequences,” said Theobald.

 

Jack Barrett ‘27 and Eleanor Mixon ‘27 argued in favor of a state property tax and against Amendment 2, sharing that the Farm Bureau spent upwards of $2 million to help pass Amendment 2. The amendment's potential economic impact sparked a class discussion.

 

“Suppose TN is facing a big economic crisis in the future; they need a way to raise money for essential services,” said one student.

 

“The crucial thing is [if Amendment 2 passes] people are going to try to move data centers into red states,” said another student.

 

“Balancing the tax burden between corporations and individual taxpayers is important,” another student remarked.

 

“A constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority in the legislature, governor approval, and popular approval,” said Jack Barrett ‘27.

The challenging, multistep process required to place an amendment on the ballot or repeal an added amendment added another layer of inquiry to the discussion. Students also grappled with whether a policy change belonged in the Tennessee Constitution or whether other implementation methods might be better, and why these particular amendments were being pushed now.

“This has helped me gain a lot more resources. I can’t vote yet, but I’ve found more places to go to look for information. I’ve learned to look for what amendment will change versus what one website or one person says, or what’s represented on the ballot,” said Luna.

“This project was very comprehensive and helped us understand the issue in all of its parts,” said Kate.

The relevance of this assignment is clear, but Parsons' intention for what students take away from this course extends beyond a single project.

"Part of living in a democracy is learning how to disagree well, which means treating each other as equals, giving reasons and evidence for what you believe, and actually listening to understand," said Parsons.

This project connected to a larger assignment that required sustained engagement from August to November by having students adopt a candidate or issue and meaningfully engage with advocacy organizations, candidates, and election efforts, writing reflections on their experiences for each activity.

“Looking at the final product of these presentations on these Constitutional Amendments that were on the ballot, and as the students sit here in my class and reflect on how their candidates fared in last night’s midterm elections, I see them doing that work, building those habits, and I’m tremendously proud and frankly optimistic for the future and health of our democracy,” said Parsons.

“At its core, AT Government is a course about citizenship. It’s about asking philosophical questions about citizenship and government, wrestling with ethical dilemmas about citizenship, and, most importantly exploring the ways and creating the space for students to explore the ways they, as citizens, can influence government and, vice versa, understand how government impacts them, and, finally, it's about creating the space for them to think about and evaluate the choices we all have as citizens,” said Parsons.

Parsons’ support for students’ civic engagement goes beyond the classroom. This semester, Parsons worked with students to organize a voter registration drive. Elisabeth Crane ‘27, Molly O'Loughlin ‘27, Julia Young ‘27, and Luna Kear ‘28 helped engage their classmates, resulting in all 40 USN seniors eligible to register to vote in time for the November election.

Among USN’s guiding principles that drive curriculum development is responsible citizenship, in which students apply ethical and responsible citizenship to matters of choice, demonstrating concern for others and care for the natural world.  Faculty have a history of being dedicated to fostering an informed and engaged citizenry through education about American elections.