YuLin Zhen, Photography Editor

Days before Election Day, Yale swing-state students find themselves pivotal players in deciding America’s future.

According to a survey conducted by the News on political views and Election Day voting intentions, of the 957 respondents, nearly 13 percent — or 124 students  — will cast decisive votes in one of seven “swing states”: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. 

The News spoke with eight Yale students from swing states ahead of the election. They expressed a heightened sense of responsibility and concerns about the fairness of swing state votes. Most students, in line with Yalies at large, plan to vote for Democratic candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris and care about issues such as abortion rights, democracy, climate change and the economy. 

“There is undeniably a greater sense of responsibility to vote coming from arguably the most important swing state of Pennsylvania,” said Alex Chen ’28 from West Chester, Pennsylvania. “As a byproduct of how our democracy is structured, I think that feeling is justified. I know if I hadn’t voted, I would have a shadow over my conscience regardless of both the winner and margin in November.” 

Chen said that preserving democracy is his number one issue in this election. He said his support for every other issue, whether that be climate change, reproductive freedoms or economic policy, hinges on the assumption that there will be a president come January who will respect the rule of law and the Constitution. He voted for Harris.

Like Chen, Miles Kirkpatrick ’27 finds stabilizing democracy and national security as the most important issue on the ballot. For Kirkpatrick, who is from Greensboro, North Carolina, climate change policy also emerges as a top concern. Kirkpatrick plans to vote for Harris via a mail-in ballot.

“If there is a single policy matter that I care more about it’s going to be climate change, and Harris is much better than Trump there,” Kirkpatrick said.

As Yalies weigh in on their voting intentions, reproductive rights emerge as a top concern. Since the Supreme Court ended the national right to abortion, 13 states have banned abortion, and eight have established limits on when it can be performed. In all seven swing states, varying levels of restrictions were placed on abortion. Notably, Georgia now prohibits abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. 

Ava Jenkins ’26, who voted for Harris through an absentee ballot to Wisconsin, recalled the fear and tension she experienced as a woman of color living in Wisconsin during the Trump administration. She highlighted the unique pressure to vote, knowing her vote could tip the scales on key issues like reinstating Roe v. Wade, which is “hugely important” to her.

Eugene Covington Jr. ’28 from Pennsylvania echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of separation between the federal government and healthcare. 

Several Yale students spotlighted policies that directly impact their communities economically. 

Noah Beckish ’28, also from Pennsylvania, highlighted the importance of Harris’ plan for small business startup tax deductions, which can significantly support local economies. 

For Toby Neal ’27,  who voted for Harris through a mail-in ballot, voting for a candidate that supports working and middle-class citizens is of utmost importance. Neal comes from a rural town in Mount Pleasant, North Carolina, where he said the job market is thin and access to quality healthcare is not always possible. 

“The ultimate motivations for me in this election were protecting our democracy and making sure we have a country that delivers for the working and middle class and not billionaires and corporations,” Neal said.

Reflecting on his background as the son of an immigrant from the Middle East and growing up in a community with many Latin American immigrants, Suren Clark ’28, who is from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, expressed how the candidates’ position on immigration policies and their respect of minority groups crucially shaped his voting intentions.

Clark, who voted for Harris, emphasized the valuable contributions immigrants make to the country while advocating for balanced immigration policies. 

“We need to set some parameters on immigration at our Southern border and crack down on illegal immigration, but the consistent hatred towards immigrants is concerning,” Clark said.

The fairness of swing state votes was an underlying concern expressed by swing state voters the News talked to. 

Ada Perlman ’27 — a staff reporter for the News from Pennsylvania — spoke on the issues surrounding the disproportional weight of her vote compared to her peers. 

“Definitely coming to college, I’ve talked about the election with a lot of my friends and people are always like, ‘Your vote matters,’ which is really cool but also sometimes frustrating that just because of this arbitrary fact that I live in Pennsylvania, my vote matters more than my friends,” Perlman said.

In the 2020 presidential election, President Joe Biden won six of the seven swing states.

KATE SOO HYUN KIM