Millions of Americans cast their ballots on Nov. 5 in a build-up to the nation’s 2024 presidential election. For many college students, this was their first opportunity to vote in a major election, whether as a Connecticut citizen or through absentee ballot.
“It was my first time voting,” said Dana Saccardi, a first-semester natural resources major. “It was kind of… it didn’t feel real, filling in the little bubbles. You’re like, ‘oh, I’m voting now!’ And then, you don’t – especially absentee ballot, you feel like you’re filling in a survey.”
“I didn’t vote from UConn,” said Corinne Woszczyna, a first-semester economics major. She noted that it was her first time voting for a president, but she had previously voted in other elections. “I went home, I planned it out. I made sure.”
Similarly to Woszczyna, fifth-semester political science major Tyler Griggs also made the choice to vote from home, as opposed to a mail-in. “I went to my local polling place. The voting experience was pretty straightforward and easy,” he said. “I waited probably like… five to 10 minutes. So, it was fine. It was a good experience.”
According to the official Connecticut election center website, Connecticut experienced around 76% voter turnout, as of Nov. 13.
In terms of national statistics, NBC News reported a drop in Democratic votes among young voters in the 2024 presidential election. According to exit polls conducted by NBC, 54% of people under the age of 30 had voted for Kamala Harris, as opposed to 60% voting for Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
For this year’s election, many voters were focused specifically on the economic state of America. According to NBC, “Asked to choose among five issues, 34% of voters said democracy mattered most to their votes, while 31% said the economy. Abortion (14%) and immigration (11%) ranked as the next-most-important issues, while just 4% named foreign policy.”
According to AP News, “Voters who felt more anxious about their economic circumstances supported Trump.”
“At the end of the day, the president is who counts for your human rights,” said Woszczyna. “For stuff that affects your societal values and standards and stuff like that. If you want a good economy, in my opinion, just go for red senators and representatives.”
All three interviewed students expressed dissatisfaction with the results of the election.
“[I’m] disappointed, but not necessarily surprised at the outcome,” said Griggs.
“Disappointment. Sadness,” remarked Saccardi. “I’ll live, but I can’t believe for the next four years… [Donald Trump is] the president I’ll have for all of college.”
“I don’t know what I was expecting, but I think that Kamala [Harris] didn’t win, majorly because she’s a woman,” said Woszczyna. “Honestly. Because—the difference, the gap was crazy big. Not even just electoral votes-wise … even individual votes. … [In the 2016 presidential election, Trump] won the electoral votes, but [Hillary Clinton] had more votes. [Harris] didn’t even have more votes.”