‘Orange is the New Black’ stars to campaign at Kent State

Brooke Forrest

“Orange is the New Black” stars Taylor Schilling and Kate Mulgrew will be coming to Kent State this Friday for a ‘Get Out the Vote’ campaign.

Schilling and Mulgrew, who play as Piper and Red on the popular Netflix series, are taking part in a tour of Ohio by going to various campuses to talk to students about the importance of voting in next month’s election.

The pair’s ‘Get Out the Vote’ visit is in affiliation with the Ohio Democratic Party, and is being co-organized by the Kent State College Democrats.

“The goal of the event is definitely getting out to vote and the importance of voting in a key swing state like Ohio,” said Hana Barkowitz, Kent State College Democrats president and junior public relations major.

Schilling, Mulgrew and other members of the OITNB cast have been working with the Ohio Democratic Party on various campaign efforts, including a recent video where they stress “Ohio is the swing state” and “Where Ohio goes, so goes the nation.”

Though the visit is affiliated with the Ohio Democratic Party, it is not authorized by any specific candidate. Barkowitz said she is unsure if the candidates will be a topic of discussion, but wouldn’t be surprised if they were.

The College Democrats anticipate a high turnout at the event, with over 200 people interested and around 100 confirmed on the event’s Facebook page.

According to Barkowitz, the event will only be an hour because Schilling and Mulgrew are immediately going to another event after. Barkowitz also said she is currently unaware if there will be any kind of meet and greet or opportunity for photos with the actresses.

The OITNB stars will be speaking at the Kent State Multicultural Center in the Student Center on this Friday at 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Brooke Forrest is the student politics reporter, contact her at [email protected].