Throughout Election Day, The Daily Princetonian conducted exit interviews from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. as voters, including students and community members, left the polling locations. Almost all told the ‘Prince’ they voted for Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris won in N.J. by approximately five points over former President Donald Trump.
An overwhelming majority of voters expressed strong support for Kamala Harris in the presidential race, at 90.91 percent. 4.54 percent of voters expressed support for Trump and 4.54 percent of voters expressed support for Stein.
Voters cited women’s rights, the economy, and foreign policy as top concerns, at 36.36 percent, 27.27 percent, and 22.73 percent, respectively.
Reproductive rights
The Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022 made abortion rights a hotly contested issue throughout the nation.
Layton Lee ’28, who voted for Harris, said that the vote largely came down to human rights, especially in the context of women’s reproductive freedom.
“It doesn’t always have to be about economic reasons or other motives … if we don’t recognize everybody’s autonomy and everybody’s freedom to make their own decisions and just to exist in this world, then what are we doing?” Lee said.
Charan Bajwa, who is a mother to two daughters, also identified women’s rights to be a key issue on the ballot. A Harris voter, Bajwa noted the importance of putting “the nation in the right hands.”
“I hope that women won’t have to fear for their ability to have freedom over their body,” Irene Kim ’28 said. Kim cited “access to reproductive rights and freedom” as one of the most important issues on the ballot.
Other deciding issues
Several other voters discussed factors like the characters of the candidates, the economy, and immigration.
For Francesco Agnello ’28, the characters of the individual candidates played a major role in his decision to vote for Harris.
“Just examining their conduct, their political careers, their policy,” he told the ‘Prince,’ “it’s pretty clear to see that Kamala is the candidate that shows that compassion and leads with a lot more love.”
Andreas Ghosh GS, a Harris voter, cited the economy as a top issue. Curbing inflation and lowering everyday costs have consistently been one of the most important voter issues and is a policy issue Harris has struggled to defend.
“I think most people know that prices have gone up over the past four years, but I think Vice President Harris has a plan to actually fix the increases in prices that we’ve been seeing, as opposed to some mindless tariffs that would cause trade wars,” he explained.
“I just felt like there were no other good votes,” Huws Landsberger GS, the sole Jill Stein voter the ‘Prince’ surveyed, said. Landsberger identified the climate, economy, and “overseas wars” for his Stein vote.
Carl J. Mayer ’81, who hails from a family of immigrants, expressed strong discontent with Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric. “It’s very important to come out — it’s not just about stopping the fascists. It’s about enhancing democracy and making our society more democratic,” Mayer said.
Meanwhile, Kevin Kwak ’26, who voted for Trump, hopes that a potential Trump administration would have a “strict and solid policy related to the border and immigration.”
War in Gaza
A few voters talked about the importance of the war in Gaza. The U.S. has been a steadfast ally of Israel even as many have protested against the war and the Biden administration’s providing aid.
Claire Fondrie-Teitler GS expressed that she would “love to see support for Palestine” from Harris. “But I don’t expect that, that would be ideal,” Fondrie-Teitler said.
“I think that Kamala would have a more nuanced approach to the situation,” Michael Burton GS said, who voted for Harris. “I feel like Trump and [Republicans] are more aligned with only supporting one side of the conflict, and I think that's not the way that we should deal with regular conflict.”
The post-Biden era
Though many voters shared a strong preference for a Harris presidency, they were not overly enthusiastic about the prospect of a Democratic administration and expressed hopes for a peaceful transition of power.
Niko Menegas ’25, a Harris voter, shared that his “hopes aren’t astronomical” for a Democratic administration. “I think that there is good capability for a fair amount of it depend[ing] on what happens with the control of Congress,” he said.
“But it would certainly be a lot more positive than what might go on under a second Trump administration,” Menegas continued.
While Lindsay Smith does not know “what to expect” in the days following the election, she hopes that “everything is peaceful and calm. “But you never know, so that’s just what I’m hoping for,” she said.
“I hope that however this goes, the people find a way to talk to each other again, and I hope that the next president is able to facilitate getting away from this split that America has,” Brittany Roberts GS said.
So far, a record 80 million Americans have voted early, with millions casting their ballots today. Experts predict that certified results may take a while to certify, especially in key battleground states.
Sena Chang is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Charlie Roth is a senior News editor and assistant Data editor for the ‘Prince.’
Christopher Bao is an assistant News editor and the accessibility director for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Princeton, N.J. and typically covers town politics and life.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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