Lately, I’ve heard all kinds of responses when talking to people before and after the election. I’ve heard people afraid of the current state of the world, I’ve heard people afraid of deportation, environmental catastrophe, economic downturn, discrimination and the decline of democracy. I’ve heard that people are afraid.

No politician, party or policy can save or condemn us. In the wake of election results that may put many of Ithaca College’s community members at risk, we need a reminder that our civic duty does not end or begin with Election Day.

Ithaca College students respond to the 2024 presidential election. The students were interviewed before and after the results of the presidential election were announced. 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.

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As voters across the nation prepare to head to the polls Nov. 5, Tompkins County advocacy groups are taking extra steps to make the voices of marginalized populations heard by preventing roadblocks specific to each community.

As the 2024 election rapidly approaches, both parties dove headfirst into existential rhetoric. “This will be the most important election of our lives,” said 75% of Americans according to PBS. This was supposed to be the case in 2020 and 2016. Come to think of it, why would any party tell you otherwise? Isn’t the goal to motivate the most people to go vote? Americans are increasingly frustrated with the state of politics. No matter who has power, things are incredibly expensive, our global reputation continues to plummet and we are faced with ongoing fascism. We must have a candid conversation and ask ourselves: “What did we get out of our vote?