College Students Want a New Presidential Candidate, Not Another Biden-Trump Rematch

By: Bri Davis

Feb. 20, 2024

Imagine I told you that, although you’re a college student, your single vote could significantly impact the education you receive, the pay you earn at your job and your future in general. 

Would you vote?

You probably would.

However, college students seem to be unenthusiastic about the upcoming election.

Are the candidates to blame? 

In the 2020 presidential election, Generation Z and Millennial voters turned out in record numbers to vote for then-candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden. 

Yet, a new poll released in December 2023 by the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School, “finds waning enthusiasm among younger voters for a Biden-Trump rematch, with more of them saying they may vote for a third-party candidate or just sit out the 2024 election.”

This poses a potential issue for both candidates, as it seems younger voters do not trust another Biden-Trump rematch to handle key policy issues that matter to them such as gun control, climate change, healthcare, crime and the wars between Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Hamas.

“The number of younger Americans aged 18-29 who say they’ll “definitely” vote in the 2024 election has dropped from 57 percent to 49 percent,” according to the Harvard poll. 

We walked around High Point University, to get a feel for what college students thought about the upcoming presidential election, particularly a potential Biden-Trump rematch. 

“I think it’s time that we have a candidate that relates more to our generation,” said HPU, senior Kristarae Poell. 

When speaking with HPU, freshman Jaeden Anderson she said, “I think both candidates have had ample amount of time to make progress within our society, but have fallen short on making actual change in things that impact our generation. I wish there would be someone new to vote for.” 

Yet, the likelihood of a competitive third-party candidate emerging is unlikely.

“As a political identity, “independent” has polled better than Democrat or Republican since 2009,” according to Gallup.

What are college students who don't relate to either candidate supposed to do?

Most pick the lesser of two evils.

"I'll probably vote Biden, but that's only because I have to," said HPU, freshman Jaeden Anderson.

College students on the campus of HPU and around the country should not have to settle for a candidate they don't want to see in office. Our country must do more to ensure that voters from every age range are supported in the democratic process.

After all, young adults are the future of our democracy.

"Show Don't Tell" Writing Exercises (Classwork 2/7)

 1A).

Jesse James strikes again. 

Nearly 100 years have passed since the infamous Jesse James and his brother Frank attempted to rob the First Fidelity Bank.

This morning, Jesse James, the great-great nephew of the legendary outlaw looked to finish what his great-great uncle started. However, he was caught by the police as he tried to leave the bank with $20,000.

1B). 

Put on a tank top, tune up your 10-speed bike, and head out to a park. If you're fortunate enough to own a convertible, put the top down and go for a weekend drive.

It seems like summer has arrived early in the Windy City.

Temperatures in the city and across the Midwest powered past the 80-degree mark, shattering records on the way.

Last year, on March 22, the high temperature was 33 degrees. However, this year, on the same day, it's warm and toasty at 88 degrees, making it the warmest March 22 ever recorded.

1C).

Imagine that you’re swimming with angel fish or sunbathing with iguanas. Or visiting parks that have admission costs of less than 50 cents per person. 

You’re loving life in a country that is no bigger than West Virginia. 

Where are you?

Costa Rica

Visiting a country located in Central America, bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the west and the Caribbean Sea on the east. It is divided into four mountain ranges and its capital is San José, the largest city in the country and home to the largest airport. Hosting a diverse range of flora and fauna, characteristic of both North and South America. The country boasts 12,000 varieties of plants, 237 species of mammals, 848 kinds of birds, and 361 types of amphibians and reptiles.

This is the place you want to be this summer.

1D).

Are you tired of having to leave the comfort of your bed as a student? Or walking across campus for a class that sometimes only lasts 15 minutes? 

Well, there is good news! 

Next fall, around 100 classes will be taught in residence halls to approximately 2,500 students. The classes will vary from introduction to computer programming to culture and society. 

The residence hall classroom program will offer smaller classes, help sessions, and easy access to instructors. 

“This program will be more convenient for students as they won’t have to travel far for their classes,” said Nancy Lorenz, assistant to the dean of students for residential education. 

1E).  

​​“Sometimes I feel like I should be introducing myself as a 40-year-old man.”

Melissa Martinez works for the Scottsdale Museum of Modern Art, installing millions of dollars of art that rotate through the museum each year. 

Despite not being the typical person for this job, artists are impressed by her skills when they see her operating a forklift, hanging plasterboard, or using a crowbar on a crate. 

They soon find out she is capable of filling bare walls and floors with beautiful art. 

1F). 

Rick is athletic, the kind of guy you would want on your side in a fight.

He has a tanned face, dark curly hair, and a long nose. He has a scar above his left eyebrow, the souvenir of a run-in with an angry debtor. 

He repossesses cars for a living. 

Making his job often unpleasant and occasionally dangerous. 

Rick’s job begins when he is hired by a bank to repossess a car from a buyer who is far behind on the payments.

1G). 

One day, Patrick Hogan was thumbing through the phone book when he came across the National Odd Shoe Exchange in Phoenix. 

That's when his luck changed.

Hogan's left leg was amputated three years ago, after complications from diabetes. 

After the amputation, Hogan's need for shoes changed forever.

He realized that to buy new shoes, he had to pay full price for a pair and then throw the left one into a growing pile in the back of his closet. 

Until he found the organization called NOSE.

The non-profit agency has been around since 1943, serving people with two different-size feet or, like Hogan, with only one foot.