On Tuesday, Apr. 1, 2025, which saw numerous Wisconsin state and local elections, first-year Adrian Stancil-Martin won a seat on the Appleton city council. According to data found on the City of Appleton website, Stancil-Martin has made history by being the youngest person in Appleton history to be elected to the position of alderperson.
On the days following up to the election, Stancil-Martin and his team canvassed both the Lawrence campus and the larger Appleton community. Stancil-Martin and the Lawrence University Democrats took many steps together to encourage student voter turnout, including releasing a guide on Instagram on how to register to vote and what to expect on election day. Stancil-Martin said that his main goal was just to get people, primarily students, out to vote.
“The reason I made it through the primary was because of student turnout,” Stancil-Martin explained. “I knew that I really needed to focus on the broader district. So, I went all out on door knocking. There were some days that I’d be out there for five, six hours straight, but I knew that that’s what was going to make the difference in the race.”
Stancil-Martin spent election day surrounded by his friends and supporters. When the votes came in and the race was called, Stancil-Martin recalled feeling overwhelmed with joy to the point of tears.
“I had a bunch of people [around me] that had helped me out tremendously, and I was so, so grateful they were there,” Stancil-Martin explained.
Stancil-Martin said he was able to connect to many people and groups throughout the race thanks to mentors and other sources of support around him. He recalled District 12 alderperson Nate Wolff offering advice and endorsement as well as support from student groups such as the Lawrence University Queer Alliance, the Young Democratic Socialists of America and the Lawrence University Democrats. Stancil-Martin expressed how he thinks students feel with the election and current government officials.
“I don’t want to generalize what students feel, but I think talking to many students, something that I found in common, students feel underrepresented. I think students feel frustrated above anything else. Students feel a lack of accountability or a lack of listening by their elected representatives, whether on the local level or on the state level or the federal level,” Stancil-Martin stated.
Stancil-Martin will continue to attend his classes alongside working towards his goals as an alderperson.
“Being elected is an honor and a privilege that I don’t take lightly,” Stancil-Martin said. “So, this [balance] is going to be my priority.”
Stancil-Martin shared how proud he was of the hard work he and the Adrian for Appleton team put in towards his campaign.
“I’ve said [this] many times privately to people, but I’m in awe,” Stancil-Martin said. “I did not expect these results to come in… Thank you to everyone. I know what a privilege and honor it is [to be elected to this position] and I expect everyone to hold me accountable.”