Seats filled in Wallis Annenberg Hall as students, faculty and community members gathered to witness the midterm election in action. On Nov. 3, the University of Southern California held a watch party for the 2026 midterm elections from 6 to 10 p.m. The room was lively and energetic, with enthusiasm through side conversations, in-depth analysis and discussion questions.
Tom Hammond, a junior studying business administration, said that watching the election alone “falls flat” and preferred watching in a group environment.
“You can really feel the room getting more and more excited,” he said.
People were already pouring into the forum before the event even started.
During the watch party, USC faculty experts and special guests provided live analysis on the results. Attendees could follow the status of elections in real time while engaging in open discussion.
Hammond said he has only been through four or five election cycles and appreciates the opportunity to hear from people with deeper insight into the election process.
“That additional experience, I’m quite excited to hear,” Hammond said.
Other students expressed similar sentiments.
Emily Vargas, a fifth-year PDP student studying public relations and advertising, said, “For the general election and midterms, I always come to Annenberg. It’s just a great way to kind of see what’s going on, and seeing the panels is the most intriguing part for me.”
When asked about how the atmosphere compares to watching the midterm elections at home, she said, “It opens me up to different viewpoints, different ideas, to also see what my peers are thinking.”
In particular, four Annenberg journalism students taking Advanced Reporting spoke to the audience about their experiences following midterm elections in Texas and Iowa. Each student gave an overview of their reporting and interactions with elected officials, candidates and the general public. They also answered questions from the audience.
“I think it’s great to see how your professors and the people who are teaching you all these new things are involved. As I mentioned, panels are my favorite part because I want to hear what the people instructing us have to say,” Vargas said.
Alisha Castillo, a sophomore studying communication, said she saw the watch party flyer on Instagram. As a younger student and California resident interested in the political atmosphere, she said, “I just want to be in an environment where I can see everything happening in real time,” when asked what brought her to Wallis Annenberg Hall.
Castillo noticed the energy in the room as well. “I think there’s a difference in being in a collective where everyone is here because they’re passionate, because they realize that this is such an important time and so that just feeds into the moment rather than just watching,” she said.
Hammond was most interested in whether the Democrats will win the Senate. He was optimistic about North Carolina and Texas potentially flipping blue.
Castillo also said she was hoping to see Democrats win enough seats to flip the majority.
Students are eager to see which party will take control of Congress and influence the remainder of President Donald Trump’s time in office.
Edited by Ally Nakamura