By LaWrynn Edwards, Multimedia & Features Editor
I was a social media intern for the Czech for Change campaign from August 22 to November 8. Fellow junior Arion Knott and I managed the Facebook and Instagram accounts for Rianna Czech, the democratic candidate who opposed Michele Brooks in the election for PA state senate in the 50th district.
On Election Day, Czech and I traveled to eight different voting zones where we passed out cards, conversed with voters, and observed other campaigns doing the same.
While some voters wanted to express their opinions, others simply wanted information about the candidates. I heard comments like, “I don’t think she’ll win,” and “I thought I was the only one a part of the Democratic Party in this area.”
We visited the Democratic headquarters in Crawford, Lawrence, and Mercer counties. I also spoke with volunteers representing candidates Marla Brown, Doug Mastriano, and Rianna’s opponent Michele Brooks.
My journey with Czech started during a controversy with the PENNCREST school board last school year. She was invited by the members of SPA (Saegertown Pride Alliance) to speak to the group about civic engagement and was denied on a 6-3 vote.
As the secretary of SPA at that time, I was upset that she was denied the opportunity to speak, so I reached out to her, expressing that the club had not intended for this to be the response from our school board.
As a result, Czech notified me when she was holding a presentation on political media relations at Crawford County Democratic Headquarters in Meadville on August 14, which Arion and I attended. At the conclusion of the event, Czech asked if we would be interested in applying the skills she covered by running her social media accounts.
Managing the two social media platforms, we created six posts per day: three each for Instagram and Facebook, using Buffer, an app that allowed us to schedule posts automatically throughout the day. For Facebook, we posted at 9:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 6 p.m., while Instagram was at 8 a.m., 12 p.m., and 5 p.m.
Arion Knott typically created the graphics, leaving me to add captions and post them through Buffer. When he withdrew from the campaign, I created all six posts every day, generally on the bus ride to school each morning. Posts included topics such as National days, important information on the election, and upcoming events to support the campaign.
My Election Day journey with Czech lasted 16 hours. Although the incumbent Brooks defeated Czech, when all the votes were counted, we were proud that 28,820 people cast votes for her, representing 27.86% of the voters in the district.
This hands-on educational experience taught me so much about how the electoral process works, how to manage media for an active campaign, and how to talk with people I never thought I’d be able to meet. I chose to do this in order to broaden my knowledge of these subjects, to gain experience using social media for a political candidate, and to make a difference. (contributed photos)
