This fall, Kenyon’s political atmosphere has been charged and active with discussion and events surrounding the 2024 presidential election. Now that the election cycle is drawing to a close, it is interesting to consider all the different ways in which Kenyon students and organizations participated. Eligible students had the option of voting in person or by mail (either here or in a different state). The opportunity to vote in Ohio, regardless of which state they may call home, allowed students to shape their community how they want, especially in Gambier. On the other hand, students who voted in their home state simply preferred to do so or felt their vote would have more of an impact there than in Ohio. So, what did voting at Kenyon look like this year and what are students’ outlooks on engagement with the election? 

A major contributor to campus–wide election information was the Center for the Study of American Democracy (CSAD). Senior Associates Cooper Bertschi ’26 and Lily Meyers ’25 explained how students interacted with CSAD this year in interviews with the Collegian. 

One helpful contribution to students and community members alike was CSAD’s nonpartisan voter guide. “We’ve been hearing from a lot of community members and students that it’s something they wait for before they vote,” Meyers said. The voter guide covered several local issues, which many people can have a harder time gaining unbiased and reliable information on. Bertschi added, “Being informed on the candidates and issues regardless of whether it’s the first candidate on the ballot or the very last issue — you know, tax levy — [is important] because at the end of the day all of those things are there because there will be an impact on the local government and your lived experience.”

CSAD also held various events throughout the semester in an effort to provide insight into elections and local issues. Among these events were lectures and ‘Democracy and Dessert’ discussions. CSAD Associate Lisa Torrecillas ’26 wrote in an email to the Collegian, “A lot of students came to our series of talks throughout the fall, participating in discussions about freedom, voting rights, political violence and the role of the media in the elections.”

Students may also be familiar with CSAD’s tabling in the Peirce Dining Hall atrium, where associates assisted students register to vote in Ohio and request absentee ballots. “I would say over 50% of Kenyon students who filled out their forms at the CSAD table made a mistake. And Kenyon students are smart! But it’s a confusing form,” Meyers said. CSAD then delivered the forms to the Knox County Board of Elections, which helped students without easy access to a car ensure that they would be able to vote. This year, CSAD delivered approximately 500 registrations and registration updates and 225 absentee ballot requests. 

This election was many students’ first-ever election or first presidential election, so anticipation was high. “For people coming from out-of-state where it’s less of a political battleground, it’s a new opportunity to engage in a very different political environment,” Bertschi said. 

“Because I’ve spent most of a year here in Ohio, I’m voting for issues that will affect me. I’m voting for people that I know more about than candidates in my home state, Utah,” Madeline Cassell ’27 said.

Students from Ohio were glad to have the opportunity to cast a vote in their home state. “I think voting is an important part of a person’s obligations to their hometown and their country,” Vivian Brown ’27, who is from Akron, said.

Other students from out-of-state were dedicated to voting in their home state, even after logistical setbacks. “I did not really consider voting in Ohio, I just wanted to vote, so Florida seemed like the obvious choice. [Voting absentee in Florida] was honestly really hard and I considered giving up multiple times,” Natalie Stone ’25 wrote in a message to the Collegian. Voting difficulties were due to complications in actually registering for the absentee ballot; Stone’s Ohio address was initially not accepted by the online ballot request form, so she had to mail the form to the Board of Elections. Stone added, “But I knew this election was important and I really wanted to vote.”  

International students who cannot vote in the U.S. engaged with the election in other ways. Torrecillas, who is from France, is interested in studying American politics. “It has truly been a gift — not only to study the American political system in class, but also to witness how politics affects people’s everyday lives,” she said. “I believe it is crucial for everyone to vote, not only because it is their right, but because it is the very foundation of American politics. The government rests on the American people and their votes; without them, political institutions would have no basis.”

Although the 2024 election cycle has come to a close, voting in local and state elections remains important to the American citizen’s experience. 

“The key piece is making sure you know what’s on the ballot,” Bertschi added.