Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Student Life spoke to a few WashU students about who they are supporting and what political issues are motivating them to engage.

As Generation Z becomes a larger voting group, how young voters engage with politics – and who they support – is increasingly influential in the outcomes of local, state, and federal elections. WashU students expressed a range of different opinions on candidates, amendments, and proposals leading them to vote. 

Senior Mason Letteau Stallings, a Missouri who is originally from California, is supporting former President Donald Trump. Foreign policy and abortion are the key issues driving him to the polls.

“I think that [Trump] will be able to negotiate an end to the war in the Ukraine…Even in the Middle East, he will be much more restrained and much less likely to get involved in a conflict abroad,” Letteau Stallings said. “I am Catholic, I am pro-life, and I will be voting no on [Amendment Three]…I do not believe that one can separate when life begins from when personhood begins.”

Senior Ella Urton, who is also motivated by her opinion on abortion, supports Vice President Kamala Harris for president.

Reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ issues, and access to healthcare are all key issues for Urton, who is registered in Missouri. However, Urton, who is from California, wishes more St. Louis transplants like herself would engage with local elections.

“Especially when we’re transplanted in St. Louis, it’s important to be engaged in local politics, in addition to the national sphere that usually takes up a lot of our attention,” she said.  

Some students like senior Tamara Martinez, who is from Florida, and senior Gus Gerlach, who is from Minnesota, have already cast their ballots in their home states through mail-in voting.

Martinez said multiple issues influenced her vote, such as Trump’s stance on immigration.

“Reproductive health is the biggest one … immigration too,” Martinez said. “I think what he said about [immigrants] eating cats in Ohio is just really crazy. And being an immigrant myself, it’s just kind of like scary rhetoric.”

Since he already cast his ballot, Gerlach is now focused on making sure that his family votes in the election. 

Many WashU students will be first-time voters this Election Day, such as first-year Ben Hoette, who just turned 18 this year. He is choosing to support Harris for president because he values her accountability.  

“It’s accountability and character at the end of the day,” Hoette said, referencing Trump’s decision to skip his “60 Minutes” interview on CBS, which Hoette did not approve of. “I value character integrity more than specific policies.”

For students who feel like their vote doesn’t matter, senior Clarissa Worthington explained the importance of voting, irrespective of location. Worthington is originally from Kentucky and mentioned Kentucky’s 2022 constitutional amendment on abortion as an example.  

“It’s easy to be like, ‘my vote means nothing,’ because like Trump is going to win in Kentucky,” Worthington said. “[However], abortion was on the ballot in Kentucky, and despite the fact that Trump won the state by over 60%, abortion went 52% to 48% in favor of protecting abortion. Your vote is important no matter where you are.”