If there’s one thing Hillsdale students love, it’s politics. Election season is full of debates and discussions that culminate on the second Tuesday in November: election day.

This year, Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM hosted an election night watch party in the Searle Center and broadcast election results live. Different students involved in politics spoke on topics from ballot proposals to gubernatorial races and gave listeners the results as they came in. 

“I’ve never been in a place where they’re recording for a radio station,” said Freshman Anne Love. “It is very cool to see my friend Mattie Grace Watson up there.”

With NBC news on the big screen, students had the opportunity to listen to and gain a variety of inputs on the results as they came in. Listening to WRFH, reading websites like the New York Times on their computers, and watching NBC on the big screen created an atmosphere buzzing with excitement and information. Students discussed results with one another as they came in live.

“I like spreading the truth and getting information out to people so they can make decisions based on facts rather than just opinions,” said junior Faith Roys.

Every 10 or so minutes, different students and professors spoke about different topics, giving many students airtime to discuss results and present their predictions. 

“Whether you’re democrat, republican, or neither, whether you specialize in economics, history, or politics, you can put your opinion out there and broaden everyone’s view of different topics,” Roys said.

College Democrats President Avery Noel spoke in several segments of the broadcast and gave listeners a more liberal point of view on topics like Michigan’s three proposals and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

“I think it really important, especially here, where it is so conservative and almost far right to have these diverse opinions and actually get the perspective that you’re not going to get anywhere else in Hillsdale, but you’re going to get in places outside of Hillsdale,” Noel said.

Roys agreed with Noel. 

“It’s good to have opinions from every side, every angle, and I think that talking makes us less divided,” Roys said. “Rather than just pointing fingers, everybody can have a discussion and maybe make some progress somewhere.”

Student broadcasters shared their knowledge for listeners to hear and make decisions on.

“It’s made me a better citizen, frankly, to hold these opposing viewpoints that are so prevalent,” Noel said.