Jessai Flores

Beginning college in the midst of one of the United States’ most polarizing elections is a stress-inducing experience, and it’s certainly felt on Yale’s campus. Turning 18 is synonymous with becoming an adult, and that means making adult decisions, like voting. 

September brought election season spirit to campus. Voter registration drives are promoted and held all over campus, and political groups have been sending out mass emails promoting watch parties for presidential and vice presidential debates. On Sept. 10, I attended the presidential debate watch party hosted by Yalies4Harris. The crowd size alone was an indication of Harris fanatics on Yale’s campus. As someone who’s on the mailing list for Yalies4Harris and Yale Dems, when these groups were sending out location details, I was amazed at how many high-occupancy locations were available for the Democratic fans. However, it did make me wonder what spaces were provided for Republican Yalies. 

During the one month that I’ve been here, I feel as though the campus political climate is overwhelmingly leaning towards Kamala. Even though I’m a California resident and my vote probably won’t be the tipping point in the election, I, along with my ’28 classmates, are excited to participate in the election because it will be our first time voting. The majority of my classmates and friends in Timothy Dwight College are already registered to vote and have a candidate in mind.

Although I would love to say that I’ve witnessed several heated debates surrounding the election, I can only say that I’ve seen immense support for voter registration and participation. However, I think the lack of political tension that I’ve seen on campus attests to Yalies’ open-minded values. I think it means that we are willing to hear other perspectives and respect one another despite political affiliations. 

Within the Yale community, I hear concerns about who will win the election, and if America will finally be gifted with its first female president. For me, this election is almost a rerun of the 2016 election with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump — two highly qualified women running against the same man. Except, we actually get a say this time. Much of the overwhelming support for participating in the 2024 election spurs from the fact that Yale students don’t want to have to relive Trump’s 2016–2020 tenure. 

I don’t see my classmates heavily debating which political party would handle our economy more effectively or how a Democrat in office would solve all of our international relations — but it is almost taboo to mention you’re not yet registered to vote.