First-time voters reflect on first-time face-off between Harris and Trump

Photo via: Terri Sewell/Public domain/Wikimedia Commons

With just 54 days leading up to Election Day, the 2024 presidential campaign is gearing up for a breakneck race to the finish line. For some, Nov. 5 is an election day like any other - they will enter their precinct as usual to cast their ballot before going about their day. For others, Nov. 5 will mark their first time walking into a voting booth, the first ballot they fill out and the first time they will have the chance to proudly wear an “I voted” sticker. 

18-year-old Sloane Fullen, a student at Ohio University, understands the weight that comes with voting. 

“It's a pretty big, you know, decision, picking who's going to  run the country…. I just want to make the right decision for not just myself, but everybody,” Fullen said.

For her, watching the debate did not change her political opinions of the candidates, though she did appreciate the differences between the most recent debate and the one between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.

“I think it was a lot better than the last debate with Biden and Trump, but still a little rough…. but I think it was a lot better, a lot more professional,” Fullen said. 

Ohio U freshman Darby Moran is another one of these first-time voters. She also did not feel the debate changed any of her opinions about the candidates, but did note some changes in their demeanors. 

“It was more controlled than the last debate was, for sure, but I definitely felt like there was still a lot of  pointless attacks, and there wasn't really enough talk around specifics of policy,” Moran said. 

As an environmental science major, Moran said she wished both candidates had discussed their plans to combat climate change more. 

For 20-year-old Matthew Carpenter, Nov. 5 will not be his first time voting, but it will be his first time voting in a presidential election. After watching the debate, Carpenter was unimpressed with the results. 

“I didn't feel like it really changed how I felt about anything,” Carpenter said. “It just kind of was there, and it might have changed a couple people's opinions and stuff like that, but I don't think it really made too much of an impact.” 

While many first-time voters have just reached the legal age to cast their own ballot, they still remember the environments surrounding the previous elections. As a high school student going to school during the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the details about the 2020 election can be a little murky, while others are as clear as ever. 

As a 15-year-old during the last presidential election, Fullen did not remember specifics of the campaign. 

Moran was 14 years old during the 2020 election and 10 in the 2016 election. When recalling former President Donald Trump’s election in 2016, Moran said, “I feel the same way about Trump as I did eight years ago…I thought the rhetoric afterwards, regarding voter fraud and whatnot, I felt like that was really childish.”

During the 2020 election, Carpenter was 17 years old and feels there has been a complete tone shift between the 2020 campaign and the 2024 campaign. 

“When it came to Biden and Kamala, it felt a much different tone, because she's a lot younger, more energetic than Biden,” Carpenter said. 

When asked what they want to see in our country post-election, unity was the resounding answer. 

For Moran, that looks like starting bipartisan conversations. “I liked how debates were held, the respect we had. It wasn't name-calling, I'd like to get past pointless rhetoric and actually get to strategies for solving real problems,” she said. 

Carpenter echoed Moran’s statement, saying, “I just want to just see more people unite with each other at the very end, I would say,, as soon it's over, people will be at least okay with what happens.”

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will continue their campaign over battleground states until Election Day. As of now, there are no plans for a second debate between them. 

For first-time voters wanting to check their registration, click here.