What brought first-time voters to the polls? Here’s what Penn State students said Tuesday
First-time voter Matt Hladik acknowledged he had some butterflies Monday night — only because the 21-year-old Penn State student couldn’t wait to vote Tuesday.
Like most first-time voters on Election Day, he expected long lines and electronic voting machines at his polling place. Instead, inside the State College Municipal Building, he settled for no lines and paper and pen.
And, after a voting process that took about five minutes, he wasn’t disappointed.
“I never actually voted before, so I really wanted to come out in person,” Hladik said. “There’s a lot of things that can happen in four years that take a lot of time to undo each way. So the election today has great ramifications.”
The youth vote around the country Tuesday is expected to be a critical one, as a recent Harvard poll found that 63% of 18- to 29-year-olds planned to hand in a ballot. But, for the youth vote to be big, that also means there needs to be plenty of first-time voters.
And they were plentiful Tuesday at the brick municipal building, where one volunteer passed around candy and presidential candidates’ buttons were left outside for voters to scoop up.
“As someone who’s 21 and has a very low chance of being symptomatic (for COVID-19), I wanted my first time voting to be at a (polling place) and to fill out the ballot myself,” said Sean Rendar, a 21-year-old Penn State student. “It’s not that I have a lack of faith the U.S. Postal Service, it’s just that I wanted the full experience of voting — and getting that sticker.”
Mason Erdman, also 21, drove 90 minutes from Halifax since he’s studying remotely and forgot to change his registered address. Sure, he could’ve decided to do a mail-in ballot — but he wanted to avoid any potential issues there.
By driving from just outside Harrisburg, and voting in person, he felt that was a better option to ensure his vote counted.
“Honestly, I’m not fond of either candidate,” he added. “But I’m doing my part to pick the lesser of the two evils.”
In the early afternoon Tuesday, several residents stopped by the ballot drop-off box while most simply stepped inside to cast their ballot. There was never any line at that time that extended out of the building, which caught more than one voter off-guard.
Alexa Checklenis, a 21-year-old Californian sporting a San Francisco 49ers mask, brought a sweatshirt with her that she never needed. This was technically her second election — her first came during the 2018 midterms — but it was the first time she took part in a presidential election.
“It was 100% different than I thought it would be,” she said. “I thought I was going to be waiting outside for an hour, and I just walked right in.”
She added, “It’s important right now for young people to use their vote, and it’s our right as Americans to vote.”
The issue most important to the first-time voters varied. Checklenis pointed toward racial injustice and LGBTQ rights, while others listed the economy, COVID-19 and even second-amendment rights as what they considered most important.
But they all agreed, independently, on why they decided to vote and vote in person. They all felt it was their duty as Americans, and they believed this was the safest way to exercise that right.
“It’s a freedom we have that a lot of people don’t,” Erdman said. “So it’s a waste to take that for granted. Everyone should be doing their due diligence and coming out and voting when they have the opportunity.”
