Students can help affect change in politics by becoming more active in the local governments of their schools, said professors and campaigning politicians Jamin Raskin and Mary Cheh at a lecture at George Washington University Monday.
Raskin, a professor of constitutional law at AU's Washington College of Law, is running in the Democratic primary in September for Maryland State Senate against 20-year incumbent Ida Ruben, Raskin said.
"We have a kind of lethargic, machine politics at work," he said. "The real thing is building a large grassroots campaign."
Cheh, a professor of law at the George Washington University Law School, is running for Ward 3 D.C. Councilmember, an area that includes AU. Students can help shape D.C. politics, especially with the elections of a new mayor and new people on the Council, she said.
"You have a direct role in that," Cheh said, addressing students in attendance. "Governing is not just the government making policy."
Cheh unveiled her vision for a University Research Service for the D.C. Council. There are 10 universities in the District, and students are untapped resources, she said.
Many students come to D.C. to become active in politics but put that activism on hold when schoolwork accumulates, which is unfortunate for the city, Cheh said. State and local governments are "workshops of experimentation," she said.
Neighborhoods surrounding universities and student residences need each other because they each have a responsibility for the city, Cheh said. The service would allow for engagement between local government and universities when issues arise that must be researched, drawing on the expertise of D.C. schools, she said.
Raskin and Cheh also discussed issues central to their respective campaigns. Raskin said his opponent has challenged his advocacy for D.C. voting rights.
"If D.C. were represented [in Congress], it would be a great thing for the whole region," he said. "We've got to stop politics as usual, business as usual."
It is important for a campaigning politician to be able to decide when a moral position appeals to the public and when that position needs to be justified in how it affects the public, Cheh said.
Under the Home Rule Act, D.C. government cannot tax the income of non-residents who work here. However, every state is permitted to tax income where earned. Two-thirds of Distrct workers are from Maryland or Virginia, and this lost revenue costs D.C. residents, Cheh said.
Raskin and Cheh encouraged students to volunteer for their campaigns. Work includes door-to-door canvassing and stuffing envelopes, but "this is retail politics," Cheh said.
Rebecca Geller, a second-year law student at WCL and a former student of Raskin's, is the volunteer director for his campaign. Students can easily get involved in local politics even if they are not from the area, she said. The Metro connects students to campaign areas, and they can use their own phones to make calls for campaigns.
"It's a matter of whether you're interested in affecting change," Geller said.
The GW Law Democrats hosted the lecture.
