URBANA — With an open U.S. Senate seat up for grabs in Illinois, Democratic candidate Juliana Stratton joined students and community members at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for a rally Friday, Oct. 9, calling for young people to take on a greater role in shaping public policy.
Joseph Dowling, Illini Democrats president and U of I senior, said the group is trying to get young voters excited about the upcoming election and increase voter turnout.
“Young people are one of the groups in America with the lowest rates of turning out to vote,” Dowling said. “That’s part of what we’re trying to fix here and across campus.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau report, voter turnout for people ages 18-29 was about 31% in the 2022 midterm elections. Voter turnout for people age 65 and older was around 67%.
Diaz Baryshnikov, a U of I freshman studying political science, said she believes candidates should focus more on younger voters.
“I think that people don’t realize how invested students are in these elections and how excited they are about it,” Baryshnikov said.
She said many students feel it’s difficult to get involved in the political process and many don’t know how.
“A lot of my classmates are really passionate about making the community around them better, but they aren’t aware of the directions they can take and how to get started in that,” Baryshnikov said.
The rally featured Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Juliana Stratton, Mary Catherine Roberson, who is running for the Illinois House 104th District seat, and Urbana Mayor DeShawn Williams.
The Senate race comes as Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, who has served in the Senate for nearly 30 years, announced in April 2025 that he would not seek reelection.
Republican candidate Don Tracy is also running for the open U.S. Senate seat. In an interview in August with The 21st Show, Tracy discussed his views on the war in Iran, abortion and birthright citizenship. Stratton spoke with The 21st Show a few months after she launched her Senate campaign, in August 2025.
At Friday’s rally, Stratton said young people can help identify issues affecting their communities and should be at the forefront of shaping public policy.
She also discussed priorities she would pursue in the Senate if elected, including raising the federal minimum wage, expanding access to health care and protecting reproductive rights.
“What I’m fighting for, and fighting alongside each of you to do, is to make sure that you inherit a world that’s better than what we’re seeing right now,” Stratton said.
With the open U.S. Senate seat and other state offices on the ballot, speakers encouraged students to participate in the November election.
Roberson emphasized her commitment to ensuring young people have a say in decisions that affect them.
“Your vote is your voice,” Roberson said.
Mayor Williams echoed that message, saying political change starts at the ballot box.
“We have 24 days to turn our energy into action, our conversations into votes, and our hopes for the future into reality,” Williams said.