Politics, elections and social justice: meet Nick Mahon, the president of UA Young Democrats.

Mahon said he has always been interested in politics and policy, but specifically in activism and social justice issues. He found the Young Democrats club to be a great outlet for his interest, and he became a member at the first meeting during his freshman year. Since then, Mahon worked with the Young Democrats and was the director of campus affairs his sophomore year, the treasurer his junior year and is now the president.

After graduation, Mahon said he plans to continue his involvement with the Young Democrats. He said that he is proud of the new crop of younger students, is excited for them to take over the club and plans to help the transition as best he can. That in mind, he added that he does plan to work in politics after graduation. He said he isn’t sure in what capacity he will be working, since the political field doesn’t always have a clear trajectory due to jobs being based on who is voted into office.

Young Democrats hosts a “State of the Union Watch Party” each year. Members order pizza, watch the State of the Union and the Republican rebuttal, and discuss it on their own. Mahon said that it’s one of his favorite activities with the club.

Mahon said he wants to emphasize to Young Democrats club members that no matter who they vote for, they just need to vote.

“Students have to make an appearance at the polls,” Mahon said.

He also made the point that if students ignore their government, the government may start to ignore them. He added that if students want to fix issues that are important to them, like student loan debt and minimum wage, they have to fix them at the polls. Mahon said each vote does make a difference because of the sheer numbers university students comprise.

Mahon is working on legislative races in District 10, while the Young Democrats club is getting involved in all the races in Arizona — from re-electing Ron Barber for Congress, to ensuring that Fred DuVal succeeds in his election for governor.

Mahon said he hopes that, with all of his hard work and diligence toward helping Democratic leaders get into office, education and student funding prevail. He also said that he hopes DuVal wins, because he has made it a key platform to veto any budget that will take money from students and education.

—Follow Christianna Silva @christianna_j