The final stretch of the 2024 United States Presidential Election began this evening with the main noteworthy candidates being U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic Party, former U.S. President Donald Trump for the Republican Party, Jill Stein for the Green Party and Chase Oliver for the Libertarian Party.
University of Oregon students gave their perspectives and reactions to the Presidential election and what they anticipate the outcome will be.
Updated 10:30 p.m.
Students and alumni were gathered at Rennie’s Landing restaurant and bar in Eugene to play trivia while keeping up with the election.
Fifth-year student Taylor Jennings, alumni Jenna Halverson and junior Sorel Bardagjy gave their perspectives about the election this year.
“I feel like at the same time as being nervous, there’s also a sense of like, whatever because I feel like it’s already kind of been a shit show,” Jennings said.
All three of them expressed that this year’s vote matters significantly more than previous years.
“Especially because in the past four years, so many things have come to the surface like Roe v. Wade… Like there’s way more that’s up in the air and needs to be addressed this year,” Jennings said.
Halverson said that this election is more than just Republicans against Democrats.
“It’s not about Republican against Democrat, it’s about Trump supporters against everyone else,” Halverson said.
Updated 9:30 p.m.
Freshman Camden Hever who was also viewing the election in Justice Bean Hall said he felt that people were being “over dramatic” about the election this year.
“I feel like people are being kind of overdramatic about it, like there’s a lot of fear that if one candidate wins, they’re gonna destroy the party,” Hever said. “Unless they win by a landslide in the House and the Senate, nothing’s really gonna change.”
One thing Hever noted was that he felt that it was “unfair” that Harris was not voted into candidacy after President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race.
“I think they should have had Harris been elected instead of just putting her in… I feel like Democrats are okay with her, but like no one really voted for her,” Hever said.
Philip Higwall watched the election outside of Duck’s House in Unthank Hall. As an exchange student, he shared his perspectives being from a different country.
“I mean it’s nerve wracking and exciting for me being a foreign Swedish student,” Higwall said. “I’m a bit surprised that I haven’t heard a lot of people talking about the election here and I guess that’s because we’re in a liberal state and people don’t really share their opinions if they’re Republican.”
He said that compared to Sweden, people were much more emotional about the election at the UO.
“It is divided in Sweden as well, but people don’t hate each other as much,” Higwall said. “You can be in a social environment where someone is leaning more towards the right and someone else is leaning more towards the left and it’s still fine, but here people have more emotions. They hate each other more.”
Sana Ranganathan, a student watching the election at Duck’s House, said she’s nervous about the election results.
“I’m a tad bit nervous while watching the election right now. It’s not really swinging my way so just feeling a little nervous but still hopeful,” Ranganathan said.
Ranganathan said she believed more young people are engaged in this election than in past elections.
“I think because it really determines our future, this election, and I think a lot of my generation is now older and we’re able to understand more so I think it [has] grasped everyone’s attention,” Ranganathan said.
Freshman Brayden Prescott who was observing the election in Duck’s House expressed how he felt that his vote “doesn’t matter.”
“The presidential vote, in my opinion, doesn’t really matter as much,” Prescott said. “Like if you really want to see real change, you need to be voting for people who are actually making and creating your laws like your state governors, people in the legislative branch and things of that nature.”
Prescott said that even though he comes from a predominantly Democrat family, he leans more toward Trump.
“If I had to choose one, I would most likely choose Trump to be honest. Being a Black Democrat, with my whole family being Democrats their whole lives, they would be very upset with me about that. I just don’t think they really understand how politics work.”
Freshman Caiden Jones, who was also watching in Duck’s House, said that although “there’s no right person to vote for this year,” that both candidates have used their money adequately to promote their campaigns.
“I’ve seen a lot of Kamala videos and Trump videos on my ‘For You’ page on TikTok, so I would definitely say they’re good at promoting [with money].”
Anika Monsivias sat with her friends eating dinner in Unthank’s dining hall.
She said she was “terrified and anxious” about the election.
As a Kamala Harris supporter, she said her focus when voting was on “bodily autonomy,” when casting her vote.
“I want to be able to get an abortion if I need one,” Monsivias said.
According to Monsivias, most people she has interacted with on campus are more left leaning. However, she said she fears that no matter who wins the election, “there will be riots.”
“If she wins or if she doesn’t, there will be riots either way and it’s going to be unsafe and it’s going to be fucking crazy,” Monsivias said. “I really hope that she wins because I don’t want to lose my rights to my body and lose democracy.”
Emerson Poore was also eating dinner in the Unthank dining hall while the election was broadcasted. She said she felt like “people care” about the election in her dorm.
“There’s people in out common area watching the election on TV,” Poore said. “I have noticed that in our dorm, people are leaning more towards Kamala and are leaning a little more left than right. “
As another Harris supporter, she said, “I just agree with most of what Donald Trump says, so it was an easy choice for me.”
On the third floor of Unthank Hall, approximately 20 students were gathered in the common area to watch the election.
Freshman DJ Hicks who was watching on the third floor expressed how he doesn’t like either candidate, but he cares about Harris’ stances on women’s rights.
“I really don’t like Trump because he’s trying to take away my friend’s rights and I just can’t be supportive of that no matter what positives he may have for his plan if he becomes president.”
Hicks said that the money used for campaigning by the candidates in this year’s election has been used more to “attack” the other candidate rather than promote themselves.
“When Obama was running it more so felt like it was two adults running against each other because there was a mutual respect,” Hicks said. “But now it more so feels like a bunch of smear campaigns and propaganda towards both parties.”
Updated 8:02 p.m.
The dormitory Justice Bean Hall held a watch party from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., with approximately 40 students present.
“I’m really anxious about the [the election],” Ariana Ridgway, a student viewing the election in Justice Bean Hall, said.
Ridgway noted that younger people seem more engaged in this election than in previous elections.
“With the switching to Harris over Biden, I think that created a lot of conversation, especially in my circles,” Ridgway said. “Just a lot of people who weren’t so sure about Biden and were thinking of voting third party, and [Kamala running] changed their mind a little bit.”
When asked about how campaigns represent each party’s point of view, freshman Claire Popello, who was also at the election viewing, said both candidates have not performed well in this front.
“Trump is a very exaggerated view of Republicans. He has some takes that even Republicans aren’t fans of. I see a lot of Republicans who go against him — my grandfather is a hardcore Republican, but he voted for Biden because he didn’t like what Trump was doing.”
In terms of the swing states, like Pennsylvania and Michigan, Popello said that she has some worries about individuals choosing not to vote in these states.
“I’ve heard a lot about people choosing not to vote entirely, because they don’t support Harris’ view on Palestine. That is the main thing I’m worried about, [but] I’m hoping they’ll go blue.”
While tuning into the election, Anthony Galetti, a junior living in Unthank Hall, said this election is different for him.
“I’m feeling pretty good. I haven’t actually really voted beforehand. I usually had a policy of not wanting to get into politics because I wasn’t too comfortable taking a stance.”
Galetti said that as he’s gotten older, he’s become more engaged in politics.
“My dad sort of told me and I’ve kind of concluded really with some of the people it’s just part of being an adult,” he said.
Coming to college, Galetti said students have kept their beliefs to themselves this election.
“No election’s going to go peaceful[ly]. There’s always going to be a disagreeing side and there’s going to be people that disagree to an obnoxious amount where they can start getting physical,” he said about what he thinks will happen post-election.
“I think the core thing is that we should just be able to live in an area where it’s okay to disagree,” he said. “If we can just mutually agree to disagree and just discuss what we want and what our ideologies are that’s fine.”
