On Wednesday, the Record conducted a post-election straw poll to survey how Wheaton students voted in the 2024 presidential election. Of the 178 students who participated, 59 said they voted for Donald Trump, 54 voted for Kamala Harris, 22 voted for a third-party or independent candidate and 43 did not vote.
The poll, conducted in person at a table in the Beamer Center, required students to place a “straw” — a post-it note slip colored red, blue or green — in one of four buckets to indicate how they voted. The buckets were labeled “Republican (Trump),” “Democrat (Harris),” “Third Party/Independent” and “I Did Not Vote.”
The table ran from 9:20-10:30 a.m. and 11:35 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Instead of utilizing a digital survey, such as the one issued in 2020, the Record opted for an in-person poll so that students could vocalize their presidential election reactions directly to Record staff. Due to its heavy student foot traffic, the Beamer Center was chosen to provide a randomized sample size. The 178 students surveyed do not represent the political opinions of the entire student body.
Some of the students taking part in the straw poll also talked to the Record about their decision to vote — or not to vote — and how they felt about this election.
Austin Eilmes is a freshman majoring in economics and international relations who voted for President-elect Donald Trump. For Eilmes, the candidate’s policies were more important than their character.
“Trump, I agree with him more on the issues from the economy to abortion to the border,” Eilmes said. “So when it comes down to it, I voted for the issues, not the person.”
Sophomore communication major Elena Fromm said her vote for Trump was just as important to prevent Vice President Kamala Harris from winning.
“I did vote for Trump, but I also voted against Harris, and that was one of the most important things that I was concerned about,” Fromm said. Regardless, voting was important for Fromm, and even if her friends disagreed with her, she encouraged them to vote.
Freshman Noah Dennis, however, decided not to vote. “Even if I do vote, it’s going to be blue either way. I’m from Illinois,” Dennis said. “And I was probably just gonna vote independent anyway, so I was just like, ‘I don’t really feel super strongly about this.’”
One freshman international relations major, who chose to remain anonymous, didn’t vote either. He wanted to research his options more before he voted, but that commitment fell behind other priorities.
Aiden West is a senior majoring in philosophy and economics who voted for a third-party candidate. He said he votes third party because he likes those candidates better and doesn’t put as much importance on his vote.
“Christ is King. It doesn’t really matter who you vote for,” West said. “Don’t hate other people for voting for someone because your vote is pretty insignificant.”
Evelyn Davis, a freshman political science major, expressed dissatisfaction with both candidates. She voted for Harris but said she was, “overall just pretty disappointed in our options.”
However, Davis considered it her “civic duty” to vote, and she thought of the women of previous generations who didn’t have that right.
Caitlin Cox, a junior anthropology major, voted for Trump based on policy. She wasn’t satisfied with either candidate and would have preferred not to vote at all, but the opportunity to vote in her first election was a key motivator.
“Obviously every presidential election is a big deal, but this one felt important,” Cox said. “Also, I was kind of excited to vote since I didn’t get to last time.”
Freshman international relations major Cade Acker felt a similar responsibility to vote this year, as an American citizen and as a Christian. He cast his vote for Harris.
“This was definitely one of the harder elections in history for everyone,” Acker said. “I don’t think there was necessarily a winning situation to come out of it. I think I tried to approach it with humility, tried to look at everything, pray about it and talk to people.”
Christine Yu, a junior, found the election season stressful. She acknowledged the importance of democracy but focused on the bigger picture to help manage her stress.
“Regardless of what happens, it’s not like our country or our global world is going to collapse,” Yu said.
By The Record Staff.
