Neil McIver, a Plymouth alumni, was outside of Plymouth Elementary on Tuesday, representing the Republican Party and greeting voters as they entered the polls.
McIver has served three consecutive terms in the State House as Plymouth’s Representative and was on the ballot for reelection. Before serving in the State House, McIver was involved in Plymouth’s town government for over 30 years.
As a PSU student, McIver was an active member on the Ski Team. Eight members of McIver’s family have also graduated from PSU.
In spite of his long history with the university, McIver feels out of touch with students because of his party affiliation.
Republicans form a minority on college campuses around the nation, McIver believes that many students are misunderstanding what it means to be a Republican, he believes in higher education, stating, “I’m a strong supporter of education. I have a doctors degree and I feel like I don’t have a chance with student voters, because I’m a Republican.” McIver continued by saying, “I’d like students to be part of the community… I’d like students to vote.”
Because of imbalanced representation within Plymouth State University, McIver believes that he hasn’t had sufficient opportunities to represent himself to student voters.
While his goals include improving the relationship between the university and the town, he doesn’t feel like he has been able to connect with students.
Many students are being influenced by what he sees as a national democratic movement among young people.
He is concerned that students are being swayed by people with no connection to the town of Plymouth. In our interview, McIver said, “I can sense that a lot of students come in and really don’t understand the issues… it’s hurting the town.”