Kamala Harris Presidential Campaign's Email Blast to University of Wisconsin Students Raises Questions
Students Receive Emails Promoting Harris-Walz Concert
The Kamala Harris presidential campaign is planning a massive concert in Madison, Wisconsin, on Wednesday night. A large number of University of Wisconsin students recently received emails promoting the event. Students from both the University of Wisconsin Madison and University of Wisconsin Whitewater confirmed that they received emails from the Harris-Walz campaign on Monday. The emails promoted the concert, which will feature Gracie Abrams and Mumford & Sons.
Student Reactions to the Email Blast
One student from UW-Whitewater who supports Donald Trump expressed her anger and frustration at receiving the email, which she viewed as a Democratic advertisement. She was also surprised that the Harris-Walz campaign had obtained her school email address. The student, a 24-year-old senior, was concerned about how her email address was obtained, as she had not received any emails from the Republican National Committee or Donald Trump.
Possible Methods of Obtaining Student Emails
The campaign may have requested the email addresses from the UW system. Alternatively, the campaign could have obtained the email addresses through a third-party data voter company, which has successfully obtained students’ private FERPA data nationwide. Some have speculated that an algorithm could have been used to obtain the email addresses.
University Response to the Email Blast
A spokesperson for UW-Madison confirmed that student emails are available upon request under the Wisconsin Public Records Law. In addition, registered student organizations are allowed to send one message per semester to all students. The spokesperson also clarified that the political rally mentioned in the Harris email will be held in the city of Madison, not at UW-Madison.
Student Opinions on the Email Blast
One UW-Madison student was not surprised to have received at least two emails from the Harris-Walz campaign in the last 10 days. However, the student expressed concern about their information being sold or given to political parties for partisan agendas. The student also mentioned that they had not received any emails about other political events happening in Madison.
Concerns Raised by Republican Students
The strategy of obtaining college students’ emails en masse has raised concerns and prompted questions among Republican students. College Republicans in Arizona have criticized a similar move by the Harris campaign, which texted 70,000 Arizona State University students, and a total of 150,000 students statewide, urging them to vote for her.
Investigations into the Use of Student Contact Information
Arizona College Republicans and at least one GOP state lawmaker have pledged to conduct an investigation to determine how and why the contact information was used for partisan politics. The UW-Whitewater student who spoke out about the email blast also expressed her desire for answers about how her contact information was obtained and used.
Student Response to the Harris-Walz Campaign
The UW-Whitewater student responded to the Harris-Walz campaign email with a message of her own, expressing her support for Donald Trump and her disapproval of Kamala Harris.
Bottom Line
The use of student contact information for political campaigns raises important questions about privacy and the use of public records for partisan purposes. What are your thoughts on this matter? Would you be comfortable with your contact information being used in this way? Share this article with your friends and discuss. Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Briefing, available every day at 6pm.
