UW Tacoma students share their thoughts before the election

UW Tacoma students shared their thoughts about the election ahead of the Nov. 3, 2026, election.

By Kai Lee

Many students at UW Tacoma gave their opinions on the election or voting ahead of the Nov. 3, 2026, elections.

About 39% of adults in Washington state voted in 2025. The voter turnout for young adults ages 18 to 29 was 17% in recent years according to Campus Vote Project.

Some students at UW Tacoma find voting important to uphold their values. “I hope people of all groups will feel safe,” Jordan Eng, a third-year Computer Science and Systems major, said. “If you are American, you should treat other Americans as Americans, no matter what they look like.” In the interview with Eng on Oct. 30, he said he was planning on voting that weekend.

On the ballot, there were initiatives brought up by Let’s Go Washington, a conservative-leaning political action committee. One was I-001, which aims to allow parents access to their child’s school records and more. Through I-645, the political action committee (PAC) aims to repeal the Millionaires’ tax, and I-638 aims to ban trans girls from K-12 girls’ sports.

Other parts of the general election are the U.S. representatives, state legislative offices and state judicial offices, according to the Voters’ Pamphlet. County elections were also included.

“Knowing that if we all make an effort to vote, it can make a big difference,” Masato Womack, a third-year Psychology major at UW Tacoma, said. Womack had already voted before the interview on Nov. 2.

“A lot of people in this country don’t have the right to vote, while many people that do, don’t acknowledge the privilege they have,” Luis Sainos, a first-year pre-major student, said. At the time of the interview, Sainos had not voted, but said he planned to.

Shayla Pitre, a fourth-year Arts, Media & Culture major, shared that she voted against I-645, which aims to repeal the Millionaires’ Tax.

“I felt like if you make that much money, why not get taxed,” she said. “For me, I worked at events where people with a lot of money donate to charities and all that type of stuff. I feel like if you live here and we don’t have enough money to remodel the Narrows Bridge, why aren’t they donating to where they live… Since they don’t want to donate, I guess we have to tax [all of them].”

Resources

Voters can track their state ballots and know whether they are received, accepted or challenged by checking their ballot status report.

Voters can view state or county election results on Washington’s voting results website.

Students needing mental health counseling can visit Psychological & Wellness Services (PAWS).