Editor’s note: These responses were selected through brief, impromptu interviews with campus community members. They are not representative of the entire Ithaca College community, and have been edited for clarity and length.

Maren Nazar, first-year acting major 

“Third party voting is not a good idea right now. It seems like a great idea, because you might vote for the camp that you align with more. But right now, where we are in the process, it’s impossible for a third party to win, so you will be granting votes to the opposing party or the party you like the least. If you do vote for a third party, I think it’s possible [that they would win] someday, but in this election, it is not possible.” 

Charley Slusser, senior occupational therapy major

“I’m worried about how it is going to go for me as a woman, for my friends who are women and just in general for [legal] rights. It’s very stressful, because the [outcome of the presidential election] could be significantly different both ways…. I have a lot of friends who don’t want to vote. They aren’t going to vote, because they believe it doesn’t matter. But your voice does matter and sometimes one or two votes can change an election.” 

Jilayne Kistner, first-year musical theater major 

“I’m very excited to vote for [Kamala Harris] and not an older white man; I feel like voting in Indiana, in a red state, means my vote matters. There’s millions of those who feel like your voice doesn’t matter. But it’s the foundation of our country, it’s the foundation of our entire governmental system. So it’s important, and you should be proud to participate.”

Sam Aldridge, counselor in the Office of Admissions

“Voting matters. If you don’t vote, that is still voting. I call that “boo” voting. This is your one time to throw it back at the powers that be and make your voice heard. You should do so…. I’m voting for Kamala Harris, although I’m not super excited to vote for her. I don’t like her policy toward Israel and her unquestioning support of the State of Israel. I don’t like what she says about expanding fracking in Pennsylvania, and generally, I don’t like how she is giving more and more over to right wing policies instead of appealing to her left and progressive base, where I find myself politically.”

Marley Soleil, first-year musical theater major 

“As a gay Black woman, I feel that if Donald Trump gets another term, my life would be in danger. I feel like my reproductive rights would be at risk from a national ban. I wouldn’t be able to marry who I want to marry, and I fear that a lot of the laws that have been put in place to make sure that, you know, black people have equal footing in this country would be taken away and seen as [Diversity, Equity and Inclusion] instead of what has been needed to be done for the past hundreds of years.”

Samantha Funk, junior environmental science major

“I think there’s a lot at stake, no matter who you’re planning on voting for, and so youth involvement is really important in this election. It’s really easy for me to vote for who my parents are gonna vote for or who my friends are gonna vote for. But I think it’s really important that when you’re going in to vote for such an important figure of our country to have background knowledge and understand what they stand for.”