How Do Saint Mary’s Students Feel About the Presidential Election?

Image c/o AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File; AP Photo/Artie Walker Jr., Business Insider

By Jenevieve  Monroe
News Editor

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Almost five months into the year, Americans are seeing a tight race in popularity between Presidential candidates. A recent poll released by the Siena College Research Institute shows a nearly perfect divide between Americans:  “Trump now leads Biden 46% to 45% among registered voters, a decline from February's 48% to 43% lead.” This stark divide in voting behavior has left many Bay Area residents uncertain about what the next year holds.  But are these concerns reflected throughout our student body?  The Collegian conducted its own poll to gauge the political views of eligible voters on campus. The result?

Nearly 57% of students polled intend to vote for President Biden this fall. As for the former president, only 3.6% of students surveyed intend to vote for Trump. These results indicate our campus to be highly Democratic, but do these values reflect the same voting behaviors of college students nationwide? Current polling data has been both limited and mixed on this question. A recent report from Best Colleges shows former president Trump to be leading amongst college voters by 2% more than Biden. So no, Saint Mary’s students are not experiencing the same kind of partisan divide as other college campuses across the country. We are not experiencing the same partisan divide that is evident throughout the East Bay; just recently, an article was released explaining how local election workers fear for their safety due to an influx of fraudulent election related threats. One may wonder why Saint Mary’s is an outlier to these trends.
 
Student responses to this poll varied, but most respondents were concerned about the campus culture surrounding fall’s election. One student views this election to be more consequential than any presidential election in history, claiming former President Donald Trump to be “a threat to our country and democracy.” Another expressed their dissent against a culture of ageism that has allegedly attached itself to the Biden campaign. “ I am fully confident that Biden can serve four more years and stories of his senility are simply ridiculous bias against him.” Other students have expressed hope for more civic engagement on campus next semester. One student was uncertain about when voting for the presidency occurred. 

Students were also asked whether their chosen candidate reflected their ideological values. Surprisingly, the majority of respondents felt that their candidate was only partially representative of their own beliefs.  One student expressed these frustrations as consequential to our two party system. “Neither candidate is strong and… truly reflective of their party as a whole. It’s unfortunate that both parties didn’t really give room for other voices to be heard (with the DNC never holding any presidential debates and the RNC proclaiming Trump as the nominee before all the major primaries could take place).” 

Independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy (Independent) has also been making some waves amongst student voters. Some respondents believe his candidacy offers promising policy changes for their future. “He’s a staunch environmentalist and has pledged to make homeownership easier, which is a big concern for me as someone who currently rents. I don’t want to be a renter all my life and have my life, in part, dictated by landlords and unjust rent prices.” This respondent views Kennedy to be the only presidential candidate who has advocated to make housing more affordable.  

You may be wondering why anyone should care about this data. Eligible voters can now reflect on the views of their peers and determine whether their own values are represented at this campus.  Make your voices known by practicing civic engagement at Saint Mary’s and mobilizing for your beliefs. We’re five months in with six more to go: that’s a lot of time to make change. 

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