Students show patriotism on Election Day
By Jake Tiger
Outside the Bart Luedeke Center, five Rider students, each filled with anxiety and excitement, filtered into a small, white shuttle bound for a nearby polling site.
During the six-minute shuttle ride to the Lawrence Senior Center, senior acting major Aileen Pujols talked about her “obsessive” following of the presidential race and the excitement she felt about voting.
Beside Pujols in the tightly packed shuttle was freshman film and television major Jalyma Harris, who admitted she did not follow the race as closely but still felt it was important to vote.
They, like many others at Rider, were taking their pick of presidents for the first time, weighing issues like reproductive rights, the economy and immigration in a race billed as a genuine tossup for months.
With the presidential election featuring Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump finally nearing its dramatic finish, Rider was imbued with a sense of patriotism on Nov. 5: ballots were cast, Harris-Walz shirts and red MAGA caps were donned, and political chatter dotted campus.
Rolling to the polls
Rider’s Bonner Community Leaders program offered a shuttle service on Election Day for students registered to vote in Mercer County, which has also been the case for prior elections, according to Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Nick Barbati.
The service ran from the morning to afternoon, with Pujols, Jamyla Harris and three others filing in around noon, squeezing into the van’s rear benches.
On the ride to the polling site, Pujols said, “I am so excited to vote. … It’s also my mom’s first time voting. She just became an American citizen a couple years ago, so it’s really exciting for all of us. … Reproductive rights is huge for me. Immigration is a big one because I am a first-generation Dominican American. It’s something that directly affects me and my family.”
Pujols said she planned to vote for Kamala Harris with the caveat that it was more of a vote against Trump, as she did not align with all of Kamala Harris’ beliefs, specifically her stance on the Israel-Hamas war.
To Pujols’ right was freshman political science major Alexis Pennyhooke, who echoed worries about reproductive rights while adding that she liked Kamala Harris’ plan to “remedy” the cost of living.
Pujols, Pennyhooke and Jamyla Harris all said Trump’s character was a major concern in how they voted.
Jamyla Harris said, “I just like [Kamala Harris] more than Trump. The things he says and does, it’s just not really the best in my eyes. The campaigning has been very hectic.”
The other two students in the shuttle, sophomore psychology major Connor Meletta and junior music major Jack Tharp, who uses they/them pronouns, also supported Kamala Harris.
Tharp said, “I’m nonbinary, so trans rights are very important to me, also reproductive rights and healthcare because I’m a medicaid user. I’m voting for Kamala but mainly voting against Trump.”
When the shuttle arrived at the senior center, the students followed the patriotic signs into the building (where there was fortunately no line).
They exited one by one, but only two emerged with “I Voted” stickers.
Jamyla Harris and Pujols did not have Rider as their registered address and could not vote in Mercer County. Pujols quickly began making calls at the senior center to arrange a last-minute ride home to Hudson County so she could vote, while Jamyla Harris said she was disappointed but did not make arrangements.
Meletta, who was registered in Passaic County, could not turn in his mail-in ballot at the polling site and was unsure if he would be able to vote before polls closed at 8 p.m.
Pennyhooke and Tharp were able cast their ballots without issue, proudly returning to Rider with their stickers.
Calming the campus
Back on campus, conversations concerning politics could be heard in hallways and at lunch tables across campus, but the Center for Diversity and Inclusion’s “Vote and Vibe” event, supplying snacks and groovy jazz music, was a much-needed respite for students who would rather be thinking about anything else.
The gathering featured coloring, crafts, poetry and other distractions for students ahead of a fateful evening of politics. Over a dozen students enjoyed the event’s offerings when it began at 11:30 a.m.
“In a time of uncertainty, anxiety levels are definitely raised, so it’s good to create some calm and community,” said Jasmine Johnson, the center’s director. “It’s a space to disconnect from the election and unplug for a little bit.”
Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics, was not looking to unplug, as he called Election Day his “Super Bowl.”
He recalled the 2020 presidential election, where he was in his office all night watching the electoral map as votes trickled in and states flipped.
This year, Rasmussen said he planned to vote for Kamala Harris, citing an opportunity to “turn the page” on MAGA conservatism.
“I think there’s a clear choice as far as the future is concerned,” Rasmussen said. “Most of us are exhausted by the politics we’ve experienced the past 10 years.”
Rasmussen helped “several dozen” students make a plan to vote in recent weeks, whether it be applying for a mail-in ballot or finding a way to get to a polling site.
In his classes, Rasmussen likes to start with an open political discussion with his students, and, in recent talks, he noticed that issues like the economy, the housing market and student debt relief were “weighing heavily” on students as they considered each presidential candidate.
Rider’s Counseling Center in Zoerner House is available to students for post-election support. Appointments can be made online, by phone or over email.
