(Courtesy: Holly Meter)
Holly Meter will be a DNC Delegate.
One Ole Miss student will be “feeling the Bern” this July as she represents the Magnolia state at the Democratic National Convention.
Holly Meter, 24-year-old paralegal studies major, was selected as the state delegate on April 2 for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders at the First Congressional District Democratic Convention.
In order for a presidential candidate to be named the nominee, they must receive 2,383 out of 4,765 delegate votes nationwide.
Meter said she grew up in Horn Lake in a household where politics were commonly discussed.
Unlike many families she knew, Meter said, there was always healthy political discussion between her parents and her growing up.
“I know a lot of people where they talk with their parents [about politics] and it’s real fractious, they really can’t talk positively,” Meter said.
Voting was a family affair in the Meter household. She would regularly accompany her parents to the voting booth.
“I’ve been interested in politics most of my life, but when I went to the 2009 inauguration, that really just sparked my love of politics,” Meters said.
At the First Congressional District Democratic Convention there were five individuals interested in becoming Sanders’ delegates, but Meters delivered the winning speech and was elected by her fellow delegates.
Meter’s friend, Hollie McDonald, was with her when her name was announced.
“Holly gave a real heart-felt speech on how she always liked Bernie, and she really likes the things he stands for,” McDonald said. “I was really happy because she is so excited to be a Bernie delegate.”
Additionally, Kelly Jacobs, KC Caldwell Grist, Bill Wheeler and LeRoy Brooks were chosen as democratic delegates for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, with Charlie Penson as an alternate.
More delegates will be selected in the coming weeks at the second, third and fourth Congressional District Conventions including the Mississippi State Democratic Convention, which will be held May 21.
Meter said she intends to start a Facebook page about her experience as a delegate and gain perspective on various problems people in Mississippi face.
“When I go to the convention and I’m interviewed by TV crews, I can give honest views on what people in Mississippi want and what problems we are facing,” Meter said.
Meter encourages women, especially young women, to get more involved in politics. She said she feels women or young people are encouraged to participate in politics.
“I wasn’t taught anything about voting in school,” Meter said. “I wasn’t encouraged to get out and vote. If it wasn’t for my parents, taking me to the voting booth with them when I was little, I probably wouldn’t have voted.”
