Students opinions and feelings towards the 2024 election

How students feel about this year’s election and how to vote before election day.

This election season has been a stressful part of 2024 for many Americans. It has created more division for many individuals and made news watching a daily occurrence. For some, the political climate of the country has been on a rocky slope as the parties grow further away from each other.

Despite the turmoil, millions of Americans are choosing to put their faith once again on the ballot this election year.

Today, voters have had many reasons to go out and cast their ballot. The candidates for each position highlight their views on their websites, with the economy, homelessness, drug crisis, public safety in schools, lack of affordable housing and reproductive rights being primary issues for voters on the ballot in this year’s election.

For college students, the impact of politics on mental health has been a pressing issue for some time. The younger generations today have taken on more burdens like artificial intelligence and social media than previous generations did. In a world where information is at your fingertips, the truth can be hard to decipher.

One of the top concerns that students are worried about in this year’s election is the lack of voter enthusiasm.

“Young people should participate in this year’s election because so many issues are at stake. When people don’t turn out it impacts the future outcomes that may be affecting us the most,” UW Seattle senior Olivia B said. “I hope young voters especially participate in this year’s election because so many issues are plaguing our own communities. I tend to focus on local elections just as much the national elections because my dad is sheriff and is personally impacted by these things.”

Olivia who is studying abroad, plans to vote while overseas. “Voting is important to me and my future. We all have an equally important voice to be heard. While I don’t particularly like either candidate, I still want to vote in this year’s election while studying abroad.”

Amelia Q is another student of UW Seattle who is participating in this year’s election.

“I definitely think it has gotten worse as far as the political climate. It has a toll on all our mental health and how we interact with one another,” Amelia said.

“I’m worried about the future and bad things happening. In many ways, I feel less American than my counterparts because I don’t see how we can be so proud of ourselves and our country when all these terrible things are happening around us,” Amelia tells The Ledger. “The planet is being destroyed, wars are happening, the US is refusing to do more when it comes to supporting those in need. I don’t see how we can be so happy.”

Amelia is also studying abroad during this year’s November election but plans to vote by email in national and local elections.

“When I was younger, my grandparents had a backyard that was going to have a light rail built in it by the city. The entire forest was going to be destroyed to have this lite rail made to transport people from one area to the next. After my grandparents wrote letters to the city and attended city meetings demanding this be stopped, the mayor agreed to have this lite rail stopped and have one instead be built over the water. To me, this shows that people can make a difference in their own community and that you organizing locally can work,” Amelia said.

For Pierce County residents, one of the measures that will be on the ballot this year is Charter Amendment No. 5 for the Tacoma City Council. The document provides multiple highlighted sections where amendments to the Charter are proposed and will need a majority vote to pass.

The responsibilities of the planning commission for Tacoma work on several areas such as neighborhood planning, urban design, local transportation investments and historic district designations. To be informed about the commission’s duties in full, visit the commission’s website.

Several other amendments are on this year’s ballot for Pierce County. Each contributes to the community as a whole and are brought up by concerned members of the public. Once they propose an amendment by filing a charter initiative petition with the filing office, it must go through several other processes to be on the ballot, including obtaining a certain number of signatures by registered voters. To learn more about how amendments are passed in Pierce County, please visit the county website for more information.

This year’s election is sure to stir the pot of political discussion and impact our mental health. Many students feel that our mental health isn’t taken seriously enough as other concerning issues like homelessness and the drug crisis.

With gun violence in schools in on the rise and with less and less resources for students to turn to, the political climate is only making it worse. It is sure to worsen after this election without proper resources available for students to access within their communities.

Those who are registered to vote in Washington should have received their ballots by now, according to the Secretary of State website. All mail-in ballots are sent out 18 days before the election. If you prefer to vote in-person, there will be an accessible voting booth available near you for the final 18 days before the primary, local election and general election. 

Remember to conduct thorough research on your candidates, fill out your ballot and mail it in by 8 p.m. on Election Day on Nov. 5, or head directly to the polls. You can visit the Pierce County website to find a polling station near you.