Yale’s political climate amid election season

Jessai Flores

Starting college in the midst of one of the most polarizing elections in the United States is a stress-inducing experience, and that is certainly felt on the Yale campus. Turning 18 equals becoming an adult, and that means making adult decisions like voting.

September brought a campaign atmosphere to campus. Voter registration drives are being promoted and held across campus, and political groups have sent mass emails promoting watch parties for presidential and vice-presidential debates. On September 10, I attended the presidential debate watch party hosted by Yalies4Harris. The crowd alone was an indication of Harris fanatics on the Yale campus. As someone on the Yalies4Harris and Yale Dems mailing list, I was amazed at how many busy locations were available to Democratic fans when these groups sent out location details. However, I wondered what seats were available to the Republican Yalies.

During the one month I’ve been here, I feel like the political climate on campus is overwhelmingly pro-Kamala. Although I live in California and my vote is unlikely to be the deciding factor in the election, I, along with my 28 classmates, are looking forward to voting as it will be our first choice. Most of my classmates and friends at Timothy Dwight College are already registered to vote and have a candidate in mind.

While I would like to say that I witnessed several heated debates surrounding the election, all I can say is that I saw tremendous support for voter registration and participation. However, I think the lack of political tension I saw on campus is a testament to Yalies’ open-minded values. I think this means we are willing to listen to other perspectives and respect each other despite political affiliations.

Within the Yale community, I hear concerns about who will win the election and whether America will finally be blessed with its first female president. To me, this election is almost a repeat of the 2016 election, when Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump – two highly qualified women – ran against the election same man. However, this time we actually have a say. Much of the overwhelming support for voting in the 2024 election stems from the fact that Yale students do not want to relive Trump’s 2016-2020 term.

I can’t imagine my classmates engaging in intense debate about which political party would handle our economy more effectively or how an incumbent Democrat would manage all of our international relations—but it’s almost taboo to mention that you’re not yet registered to vote.