Many college students voted in their first presidential election this November. For these students, this experience was filled with mixed emotions: excitement, responsibility and uncertainty.
Jack Hyland, a first-time voter finance and accounting student at the University of Miami, felt all these emotions at the polls.
“I was excited to finally be able to express my political beliefs in a way that really matters,” Hyland said.
First-time voters recognized their chance to execute their role in shaping the future of their country.
“As you get older, you start to care more about politics, so it was one of the first years I really became involved with this topic,” Chiara Ambrosini, a first year voter and student at UM, said.
Politics can tend to be a sensitive subject for some, and especially when the people around you may have opposing viewpoints. It’s not uncommon for people under the age of 18 to avoid that topic completely.
“I was hesitant to vote in this year’s election because throughout my life, I tended to steer away from the topic of politics altogether,” Jordyn Hemmens, a first year voter and health science major at the University of Miami, said.
On election day, some first-timers felt nervous about the process, especially with the setup of voting machines, ballot marking and polling etiquette.
For some, the experience was empowering, while others encountered unexpected barriers, like long lines or complex ballots.
Sienna Mesa, a legal studies major at UM and a first-time voter, went to the polls at the Watsco Center on campus for the first time this election day.
“I thought the line would be really long to wait for voting, but when I got there it was actually short,” Mesa said. “I assumed most people voted early.”
Ambrosini had a similarly quick visit.
“I waited in line for about 40 minutes. It wasn’t too bad. There were people in line promoting different candidates for different positions,” Ambrosini said.
Once they cast their ballots, they felt a sense of accomplishment from participating in the democratic process and contributing to the future.
“It was nice to feel like I had a say in the leadership of this country,” Mesa said.
The first-time voters left with a stronger appreciation for the importance of civic engagement, viewing this as the beginning of their ongoing role in society’s democratic journey.
With Donald Trump winning the election, their impact on the outcome is not lost on them.
With emotions running high after the election results, many mixed opinions were brought to social media. Fights in most comments sections from political posts on social media defined their personal pages.
“My entire for-you page on TikTok is political propaganda. Lots of Trump edits, Kamala rallies, and fan quotes. Every time I scroll, it’s a new video of either political candidate,” said Madeline Peterson, first year marine science student and first-time voter.
Ambrosini feels positive about the results, though she recognizes the tension among peers with opposing viewpoints.
“I am pretty glad with the outcome of the election,” Ambrosini said. “I’ve seen a lot of posts in favor of the results, and a lot of posts saddened by the results. I can only hope for the best. Even though a lot of people don’t like Trump, I feel like the Republican Party has a lot of good plans and can really help us economically.”
On the other hand, while Lucy Schwab, a first year student majoring in neuroscience, felt grateful to exercise her right to vote, she is not necessarily happy with the result.
“It was hard to be happy with the outcome of this election because both parties seemed very extreme on either side of the political spectrum,” Schwab said. “From my experiences, the majority of people don’t try to be rational about certain extremes.”
For these young voters, their first election represents not just a single vote, but the beginning of their active role in the ongoing journey of shaping their society’s future.