2013 NJ Gubernatorial Election Project Reflection

Before entering this project, I was vaguely aware of the issues we face today in New Jersey.  Through multiple primary sources, I learned the more specific ideas that Barbara Buono and Christie had that would benefit our fine state.  After the three weeks of working in the groups for the election project, I learned a lot about politics and how the campaign can affect each individual involved.  In regards to the platform itself, I learned more about Buono’s beliefs and plans for New Jersey’s economy, education, LGBT, healthcare, working families and minorities.  A large part of Buono’s campaign was against Christie.  In order to gain the trust of the people, she would point out mistakes made by the governor even if they were inevitable.  Although the debates became very intense, candidates rarely directly derided each other.  Throughout the campaign, I learned that even though not all participants would have to debate on the final day, there was pressure placed on everyone.  These may have included making sure that not only you had completed your job, but making sure others were completing theirs.  It was very important that each member of the group was self directed so they would finish what they needed to do and possibly help someone else.  With such a large group, it is nearly impossible to always know what another person is doing for the campaign.  There was a bit of a lack of communication; however, it did not cause any major issues within the group.  The communication was not terrible, but it could have been better.  It was difficult to find a way to effectively contact the whole group.  It seemed that each committee had more direct communication which they then summarized to the whole group.
As the scheduling director, I definitely felt that at times I didn’t have much to do.  It was very easy for me to do more research or create small posters in order to help the advertising committee.  I think I did a fairly good job with reminding the group of specific due dates we had set for ourselves and any upcoming meetings/events we would have.  On the other hand, I think I could have done a much better job with communicating about work instead of just dates.  Overall, I really enjoyed the experience, even though it was a challenge at times, and I look forward to the next group project.