MONMOUTH, Ill. (KWQC) – Election Day is less than 24 hours away and for some voters, this will be their first time casting a ballot.
Monmouth College students are gearing up for Election Day on Nov. 5, with key issues students highlighted like the Israeli-Hamas conflict, gun violence tied with school shootings, student loan forgiveness, reproductive rights, and immigration being some of the driving forces to get them to the polls.
While students vary in political stance and even their reason for voting, there was a commonality among most—a desire to seek unity as a society and a determination to ensure civic engagement.
Dante Sardelli, a junior political science and history double major at Monmouth College, plans to vote by mail due to living three hours away from home. This is his first time voting, and he emphasizes the importance of local elections, particularly the competitive House Representative race in his district.
Dante Sardelli said he is motivated by the fear of negative partisanship and the desire to support issues like trans rights, reproductive rights, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Influenced by his politically active father, Sardelli said he aims to pursue a career in public administration or legislative work, focusing on public policy and state or national legislative roles.
“As a first-time voter, it feels very interesting, as this is one of our biggest elections as of the most recent few years,” Sardelli said.
Karli Strom, a senior communication studies and political science double major at Monmouth, emphasizes the importance of reproductive rights and addressing immigration rhetoric.
She said she had previously voted in local elections and aims to increase civic engagement on campus through her role as editor-in-chief of the newspaper and involvement with the Scotts Political Society.
“We live in a really polarized state,” Strom said. “I wish it was easier to talk about politics and not be so scared to talk about this, because the less that we talk about it, the less that we know about it, and the harder it is to actually like connect with one another and try to figure out why we feel so differently about things and to try to reach across the other side of the aisle to have more bipartisan policy, but with that really just trying to increase civic engagement, you know, telling people your vote does matter, because all votes matter, and, you know, we are given this right in this democracy. So it‘s really important to me that we participate in it.”
Andrew Himpsl, a freshman majoring in political science and Spanish, emphasizes the importance of youth civic engagement in shaping future policies. He plans to vote on Election Day, driven by concerns over immigration, economic competition with China and environmental policies.
Himpsl said he is influenced by his liberal family and moderate-conservative teachings.
According to Himpsl, he values civic engagement and sees his vote as a symbol of youth advocacy. As a college student, he prioritizes addressing the nation’s debt and student loan policies. He acknowledges the nation’s polarization but believes in fostering moderation and inclusivity through open dialogue.
“I feel that my vote really might not have turned the tide, obviously, but I think that civic engagement is the most important aspect for the youth,” Himpsl said. “I think that it’s less of a matter of one single person, as it is an advocacy for the entire youth group and for new voters, especially, to really become active and to voice their opinions. I think that my vote will just kind of help express that view and kind of really aid in the awareness and idea of civic engagement.”
Taylor Whitaker, a junior political science major and psychology minor, discussed her positive voting experience during fall break, highlighting the ease and efficiency of the process. She emphasized the importance of voting due to her stance on issues like the right to choose and gun control.
Taylor said her political views are influenced by her family and educational experiences. She values compassion in leaders and believes local elections are as important as national ones, citing her internship with a state senator. Taylor encourages voting and emphasizes the need for reliable information. She reflected on the divisive nature of current politics and the challenge of overcoming stereotypes.
“We need a leader who is able to see all sides of the spectrum, whether you‘re working class, whether you’re the richest person in the world, and everything in between, or even if you are very poor and don’t have much to go off of,” Whitaker said. “I think we need someone who is able to see all walks of life and is able to make important decisions based on the people and not just self-interest. So that is something that’s very important to me.”
Alfonso Mares, freshman, sources his political views and reason for voting from his heritage as a Mexican American, and while he prefers to use other online resources to learn about politics, he understands his generation’s reasoning for using social media.
“I mean, I don‘t feel like social media really plays a big factor in my policy. Personally, I know a lot of kids do have a lot of policies that are affected by social media, but, like, take a page out of Reagan’s book,” Mares said. “Just because the older generation doesn’t use social media to their advantage doesn’t mean I’m going to use that against them. We use it to our advantage. We can learn about policy in a minute. I can Google Kamala Harris’s policies right now, and she’ll have a full website detailing her policies. Same thing with Trump, same with any politician. So that’s an advantage to us as modern-day voters.”
For Payton Crims, sophomore, the responsibility to vote is simply a way of honoring his ancestors’ sacrifices.
“It is very important to vote because I know my ancestors, years ago fought for their voting rights,” Crims said. “I watched tons of documentaries and listened to my grandparents talk about stories about marching and marching to vote. So it was a really big thing for me. So that’s when I turned 18. I got registered to vote and have been doing that ever since.”
Brady Arrenius, a junior student, expressed the fact that due to him being a black man, he feels compelled to exercise the right to vote.
“What made me vote is that given the history of the United States, a lot of people that would identify with me did not really have that opportunity to vote so I think that exercising that civic engagement is extremely important,” Arrenius said.
According to The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, young voters compose nearly one-fifth of the electorate. With 16 million Americans having their first opportunity to vote in this election, the potential for young people to influence key races is significant.
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