Local Political Spotlight: 21-year-old invests in change

“I’m driving in my car talking to Obama. We got to pick his brain and he had to think about the question and give an honest answer without a script. I appreciated that.” Arielle Leipham recently joined forces with Organizing for America, a group devoted to registering voters and educating them on the issues. With the 2012 elections closer than some may think, a prominent question comes to mind: which generation will take the most dominating stand? For one 21-year-old Grand Rapids native, the upcoming election is personal, and more about knowledge than strict party lines.

Leipham is an avid supporter of the 2012 Obama campaign, but makes a point to state the most important part is “getting people involved in voting and issues. We live in a democracy and that’s how it should be.” Leipham volunteers at many events around Grand Rapids, urging people to get involved, ask questions, and to challenge themselves and others. “I would never push away a chance to talk to a Republican. We have to force each other to think. My dad is a Republican and he always forces me to think.” The concept of American politics has evolved to now include multiple shades of gray, leaving the issues at the center of the campaign.

With new generations able to vote comes more opinions, priorities, and perspectives, some of which older generations may not take kindly to. “A lot of parents end up casting politics in a bad light. Parents should encourage kids to get the facts, read about both sides, and travel to Washington D.C. because those are our roots,” said Leipham, highlighting a main fault in younger generations being ambivalent to America’s political system. According to the Census Bureau, the highest voter turnout for the 2008 Presidential election was voters between the ages of 35-54.

One of the more exciting parts of Leipham’s experience doing volunteer work was being on a conference call with Obama: “It was electrifying. At first it was formal and he sounded like the President, but then he became a real person.” Leipham even speaks to the recurring issue she sees with democrats losing hope in what Obama can do, to which she says, “What are we without hope and perseverance? It’s good that change takes time, if it didn’t it wouldn’t be real.”

Leipham says politics became important to her because “at some point in time, I understood it affects everybody and it’s a common bond we share.” The most satisfying part for Leipham in her involvement with Organizing for America is "talking with people and hearing their stories."  While she has no plans to pursue a political career, she does hope to work with nonprofits on a local level, especially within the Grand Rapids community. She has strong passions for women and children’s rights and LGBT rights. Leipham wonders if the most important point she can make to younger generation is to be active, educated, and invested. “Issues become that much more real meeting people directly affected by healthcare, someone who can’t legally marry their partner, or having a friend call you crying because they just lost their job. It brings the issues home and hurts your heart.”