By Madison Yang
This Halloween season may have been more nerve-wracking than others, as a fraught race between two drastically different candidates permeates the minds of American citizens.
From a wide range of candidate policies on finances, welfare and LGBTQ+ rights, three young voters at Long Beach State share their values, choices and journeys in staying informed on election topics.
While the California State University student body demographics point toward young adults being the majority, students – including 22-year-old computer science major Peter Som – focus on the bigger picture when choosing the next president.
“I think financial policies have more of an impact [on] the future of our country, so that’s what I try to focus on,” Som said.
As a student juggling multiple part-time jobs while paying hefty tuition prices, Som said he is particularly interested in both candidate’s welfare and tax policies.
Students also research topics that are more closely related to their personal futures, including Lauren Nubla, a 20-year-old psychology major.
As a self-described queer woman, Nubla’s interest in Vice President Kamala Harris is influenced by her support for LBGTQ+ rights.
She expressed that searching each leader’s policies on LGBTQ+ rights has given her a glimpse into what her life will look like depending on the winning candidate.
“Will I be able to be married? I don’t know,” Nubla said, regarding whether or not the LGBTQ+ community would have rights under another term with former President Donald Trump.
Nubla said she tries to find reliable sources on Google to research the presidential candidates’ views on women’s rights, abortion and immigration policies. She focuses on topics that will impact her circle.
“People I’m close with, if I know that certain policies are going to affect them more than me, then those are things I pay attention to,” Nubla said.
Throughout the year, the Associated Press and Google have recorded the top 10 trending search topics regarding the election per week, with early voting, voter registration and crime being the main topics on Americans’ minds as of Oct. 31.
With the country’s alarmingly high rates of crime and homicide, it is not surprising that most voters are focused on what kinds of actions the two candidates will take regarding crime prevention.
According to 23-year-old political science and French major Bailey Brownlee, these statistics are disconcerting and highlight the large influence identities have on what election topics people explore.
Brownlee said he focuses on foreign policy when researching election issues, noting that his Jewish background influences his perspective.
“As a Jew, I do pay attention to a lot of attention to the increase in hate crimes,” Brownlee said. “I think that affects the domestic sort of policy I pay attention to.”
Despite a trend in citizens more often obtaining their political news through their tailored social media algorithms, students like Brownlee utilize news outlets to learn about the election.
In particular, Brownlee said that he frequents the AP News, NPR, and the two major partisan publications, Fox and CNN, for information about the election.
Amid juggling school work, outside jobs and balancing a college social life, CSULB students, including Brownlee, Nubla and Som, channel their passions into research in order to help shape the future of the country they live in.
