The election of 2024 for the U.S. presidency had the entire country talking about their opinions. The result of the election was a huge talking point for everyone from the media, to TV personalities, to celebrities, to average citizens. However, one of the most interesting aspects of the 2024 election was how college students voted.
One was able to decide who he or she wanted to lead the country as a college student. One was presented with the decision of choosing to vote in his or her hometown or the college location. When it came to registration, it served the same to anyone else who is a U.S. citizen and over eighteen years old. Registration deadlines were still intact as the last day to register was 30 days before Election Day.
An interesting fact to note is that registration numbers for younger voters were higher than in past elections, some of which felt because of the topic of abortion, which young voters were thanked as it pushed for an election in the Wisconsin state Supreme Court in 2022. Yet actual voting numbers were down for college students in this election as not everyone made it to the polls.
Another interesting fact to note is that until 2020 college students were considered to be less dependable to actually go out to vote. This past election just almost a month ago the number increased as more college students went out to vote.
The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) stated women in this age range preferred Harris by 18 points, with males favoring Trump by 14 points. According to CIRCLE, only 42 percent of the registered votes under 30 actually voted, and in battleground states, that number did not climb higher than 50 percent.
Yet Democrats typically own the under 30 vote, with Biden claiming more than 60 percent of them. Yet polls conducted by Reuters stated that 54 percent of voters voted for Harris, with 6 percent of that group citing they felt their personal finances would be better served under a Trump administration.
The voting process was new to many college students as it was the first election that they ever were able to vote in.
“Basically I just went with my family because I was out for the weekend. My parents wanted to get us together so we could all go out and vote,” said Adam Hubbard, a student at Mercy University. “So, I went to the recreational center where they had the ballot open this year. I went in with my family, so they all applauded me since it was my first time. It was a pretty good experience.”
Justin Alexander Abraham, another student at Mercy University, gave a very insightful experience of what the exact process was like.
“ I went to the Grinton I. Will Library in Yonkers, as I entered I proceeded to walk downstairs thinking it would take place downstairs due to the competition. Turns out I was wrong as I saw a line wrapped around outside which I stood on for about thirty-five minutes.”
Abraham went to share a little insight on what the chatter was like standing in line and the actual voting process. He said everyone was chatting about everything except the election.
” Once I got to the booth it felt like I was about to take an exam. After I was done, I went to the machine, and the worker went on to tell me I had to do it again since I put check marks instead of circling my choice in the bubble. So it was a cool first experience.”
The election of 2024 ended in a win for the Republican Party as Donald Trump reached 312 votes electoral college votes compared to Kamala Harris’ 226 votes, making Trump the 47th President of the United States of America. It was an interesting election as many new voters came out to vote such as college students.
States like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan saw support from a younger generation of voters decrease significantly for the Democrats. Smaller losses were from Nevada, Arizona and North Carolina, according to Edison Research Polls. Voters under 30 said the economy and job market were top of their list, with the issue of abortion as a far second, according to early data from the Associated Press. The AP’s exit poll stated young male voters flocked to Trump’s campaign. winning 56 percent of the vote compared to 40 four years ago.
