Around 250 people attended the presidential debate watch party in Moseley hosted by Elon Votes! and the Center for Leadership last night.
Students and faculty enjoyed ice cream, played debate bingo and listened as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump debated for the first time.
The watch party, which showed the debate on a large screen in the student center, is the first of a number of election-related events throughout the semester put on by Elon Votes! There will be watch parties for the two other debates, all culminating with an election night party in the Grand Hall.
"What we really want to see is that we have educated voters," said senior Laurel June Shuler, coordinator for Elon Votes! "It's something Elon Votes! really strives for. That's why we came up with the bingo idea — students were actually doing something other than just sitting there. They're actually listening and interacting."
Schuler worked with junior Gabby Vance, also a coordinator with Elon Votes!, along with others since February to help plan the event. They said the turnout far exceeded their expectations, especially after a Facebook event attracted just 36 confirmed attendees.
There was applause when Clinton spoke about injustice to the African-American community, and also some laughs when the candidates disagreed on a number of issues.
"Especially on a campus like Elon, where students want to get engaged, it's so much more important to have students actually coming together as a community rather than just sitting at home and watching on the couch," Vance said. "This kind of environment will create conversations, and hopefully students will see someone who is on the other side and learn from them and hear their voice, just so students can get a broader perspective about different political viewpoints."