Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
PROVO — With the 2024 presidential election only two months away, college students — many of them first-time voters — are faced with the choice of Republican nominee Donald Trump, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, someone else, or none of the above.
The Deseret News spoke to several students at Brigham Young University to ask them how they feel about the race, who they support and why.
BYU is a cultural outlier in higher education, with a student body that's a lot more politically diverse than other campuses because of the higher number of conservative students.
While university students typically are more progressive than the general population, a 2022 survey found that BYU has more conservative students than the norm, with 32% of its student body identifying as liberal, 20% as moderate and 48% as conservative.
Many of the BYU students who spoke up said they believe there isn't a decent candidate in the 2024 race. Others said they can ignore their candidate's glaring problems in order to focus on the issues that matter most to them, whether economic or social.
In other words, most agreed they aren't happy with their options. There is only, as was said verbatim several times, the choice of "the lesser of two evils." While some students said they are willing to vote for a candidate they wouldn't otherwise support, others said they won't make that choice. As sophomore Caleb Johnson put it, he believes voting for the lesser of two evils "is still voting for evil."
Among the six BYU students interviewed — three men, three women, all Latter-day Saints and one person of color — two said they would vote for Trump, two for Harris and two said they would vote third party. One of the students is married, one is from Utah and one is from Idaho, while the rest are single and come from different parts of the United States.
Who are you voting for and why?
Brandon Waits (Ohio, 22, applied math): "In the upcoming election I'll be voting for Donald Trump because I believe he embodies conservative values (and) I believe the liberal candidates running do not uphold American values."
Caleb Johnson (Illinois, 21, mechanical engineering): "I will probably write in. I don't have anyone specific right now, and the person that I write in probably won't be running. … I don't agree with the two-party system."
Audrey Moessing (California, 22, economics): "I'm planning on voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, primarily because I don't want to vote for Trump … She's the lesser of two evils. I respect her as a person (and I like her) tax policy."
Jessica Martin (Wisconsin, 21, accounting): "I don't know who I'm voting for. I'm not voting for Trump. I will probably not vote for Kamala … so I'm looking at third-party, but what I think will happen is that I'll probably just pick a politician that I actually like. … I refuse to do the lesser of two evils."
Andres Chavez (Texas, 23, exercise science): "I'm voting for, most likely, Kamala Harris. She is the most representative of me. The values that she carries are more in line with my point of view and my beliefs than the other candidates, (though) I don't necessarily know if anyone in politics is a net positive person."
Camryn Fillmore (Idaho, 23, communications): "I'm going to vote for Donald Trump. He's put it all out there on his campaign, and as much as I think he's obnoxious, I think he'd be a good leader and has overall good relations with other leaders. … I think he is the better of the two evils."
What policies matter most to you?
Fillmore: "I really am just worried about the economy. … I'd like to afford to live. I like that (Donald Trump) is a businessman, and I think we need a businessman in office."
Johnson: "I want to see a … federal government that can take care of foreign threats, not just to us but threats against democracy. Examples that come to mind, issues in Russia but also issues in Venezuela."
Do you feel like your faith impacts your politics?
Waits: "Yes, but … on an issue-by-issue basis. For example, issues with the nuclear family, abortion, welfare policies … because of my faith I have a more clear understanding of what I should believe."
Moessing: "My faith affects how I view our responsibility towards other people. I feel like one of the core things that Christ taught was you care for other people (and) you respect other people. … Going out of your way to help other people is important in our religion and should be important in our governing system."
How are the candidates doing at appealing to young voters?
Martin: "Different sides are addressing different concerns. (One thing for Republicans) is that my demographic doesn't want to get into a war right now, which the Republicans vibe with. (On the other hand) Democrats support putting anti-trust laws against companies buying up single-family houses. But neither side is addressing all of the main things for us."
Chavez: "I don't think either candidate is doing an adequate job when it comes to addressing young voters. It feels like they're more focused on playing to the crowd to secure votes rather than genuinely solving the problems that matter to young people … like student debt, economic inequality and job insecurity. I think candidates could do better by being more genuine and focusing on real solutions instead of just making promises to win votes. They should … involve young people in the process and build trust through transparency and follow-through."
