For some, the thrill of voting on Nov. 6 is more than enough. But still, waiting for election results can get kind of boring, so it is time to start thinking about how you can spice up your Election Day. Hosting an election day get together is a way to bring people together, regardless of everyone’s political party standpoint.
Mary Hoffman, advisor of the Event Planning Association, said that when planning a successful event, it’s important to set some goals for your party.
“Start with thinking about what it is you want to accomplish with the event,”Hoffman said. “Do you just want have some fun? Do you want to get your friends and neighbors talking about politics and thinking about the issues? Because what you want to accomplish with the event or party is going to shape what you need to do to make it work.”
Senior marketing major Karen Dahl, vice president of the Event Planning Association, said that in order to be a good host, you will need to do some  background information first. Dahl said that you need to take into consideration the type of people who will be at the party so you can tailor the event to their interests, but those interests might cause conflicts.
Senior Molly O’Hearn, president and co-founder of the Event Planning Association said that people should be respectful of both sides and support either outcome and just be there to celebrate together, but sometimes issues may arise.
“I would put out  before the party starts ‘Let’s keep this neutral and understand that politics is kind of a touchy subject,’” O’Hearn said.
She also said in order to get people involved in the party who view themselves as moderates, the host should make it a point to see that no one is left out and to tell people that you do not have to choose one side or another, but to just be there with friends and have fun.
Since there might be people who have an extremist view at the party, Dahl said that you need to let them know that causing conflict is not the main goal of a party like this; the main goal is to just get together and have fun.
“The main purpose of an election party is not to necessarily argue your opinion but to gain more knowledge on the facts of the election … more people are being informed about what is going on than fighting against what’s right and wrong,” Dahl said.
Senior Megan Swanson, chair of Eau Claire’s Late Night Activities Committee, said the
committee is planning their own Election Day party for students which will be at 7 p.m. on Nov. 6 at the Towers Hall social lounge. She also said that having other things for people to do will make the party even better.
“I would have other things to do while watching the results, at times it can get kind of long and you don’t want people to get bored,” Swanson said. “And food, you never know how long these things will last.”
She said it’s important to get the word out so many people can enjoy the results in a group together and that way you can create some good discussion.
Swanson said there are a couple of groups of people who watch the elections, those who want to watch it by themselves and those who see it as a way to be social.
“You want to target both groups, let people know that we are there to watch the results but we are also there to have fun.”