The primary results of the 2024 presidential election have seemingly foreshadowed the future of the election’s matchup. A rematch of the decade (almost as infamous as Godzilla versus King Kong) between former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden is an impending shadow as the general election season drags closer and closer. This overbearing shadow over the upcoming executive election has led many voters to feel an overt sense of “election dread.”
According to Time, “more than 4 in 10 American adults said they felt ‘dread’ about the contest [between Biden and Trump].” Alter continues on to say “nearly all women, white voters, and Democratic-leaning voters say they dread the looming presidential rerun.”
With that in mind, how do college students feel? For many of them, this election will be the first time theyare old enough to participate in an election of this size. This comes with several challenges, such as navigating mail-in voting, registering and feeling like a drop of sand against an ocean of division and polarity.
Sophomore graphic design student Elise Lewis gave her thoughts on the 2024 presidential election.
“I’m honestly over politics,” Lewis said. “I’m not excited for how it divides people and don’t want to deal with everyone tearing each other up over party preferences.”
Sophomore biology pre-med student Emily Munson echoed the sentiment, saying she is “concerned about the division [the election] will create in our country.”
Munson and Lewis both have reflected on the negative emotions attached to the aggressive 2020 election and the impending similar rematch to occur later this year. Junior writing major Ashlyn Pendergrass fears the nation “becom[ing] so emotionally charged that it will be unsafe to be in public” and a riot or similar incident to Jan. 6, 2021, reoccurring following the results of the 2024 election.
Munson and Pendergrass share a similar feeling of being improperly or inefficiently represented by political candidates at large.
“I don’t feel like people with my same status and orientations are adequately represented by politicians,” Munson said.
Many other Americans also feel dissatisfied with the likely candidates of the upcoming presidential election, stating “strong majorities of both parties express dissatisfaction with their choices.”
According to Abraham Lincoln, “The ballot is stronger than the bullet.” Despite these major pitfalls in the upcoming election and potential feelings of dread for new voters, voting is an important aspect of facilitating change and betterment. For resources to begin registering to vote or signing up to vote absentee, please see the links below.
Additional Resources:
Everything You Need to Vote – Vote.org
Voting as a College Student | Vote.gov
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