The U.S. presidential Election Day is today, and eligible New School voters are deciding who to cast their ballot for or if they plan to vote at all.

Many New School students expressed concerns about current policies that Republican and Democratic candidates are focusing on in this election. With reproductive rights on the line and the ongoing conflict in Gaza, students emphasized that these policies and others have influenced who they planned to vote for or if they planned to vote at all. 

Adele Hsu, a first-year student at Parsons School of Design, participated in early voting and leaned toward voting for the current Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris. “As a woman, or someone with a uterus, I think it’s important that we protect women’s rights or just bodily rights. I think it was terrible that Roe v Wade was overturned,” Hsu said.

Hsu also raised concerns about the ongoing conflict in Gaza. “ It’s an international issue, right? And I know maybe the government is not focused on it right now, but I think leaning in a certain direction ultimately would help other places,” Hsu said. 

Many TNS students stated they do not necessarily want to vote for either major party candidate; V.P. Harris or Former U.S. President Donald Trump. However, many will ultimately vote for Harris due to significant concerns about the Trump administration. 

First-year BAFA students Amber Diaz and Nailah Jappah shared concerns about the Supreme Court, which currently has three judges who were appointed by Trump. The two mentioned the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 and how it affected their own states’ abortion laws. “Florida is a 10-week abortion ban; some people don’t even know they’re pregnant [at this time],” said Diaz. “In Texas, it’s six weeks,” Jappah added.  

If Trump were to win the presidency, he could have the opportunity to appoint two new justices, as there has been speculation that two of the older Republican justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, may step down. This could then lead to the possibility of the Supreme Court to consist of majority right-leaning justices for decades longer. 

“The fact that we have six [supreme court justices],- three conservative majority is very, very concerning … Roe v. Wade was overturned, Obergefell v. Hodges might be overturned,” second-year student at Parsons Alexis Shim said. Obergefell v. Hodges is the Supreme Court case that ruled in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage. 

“Oh, my god, the Project 2025 shit is just so scary,” said Sasha Friedman, a first-year BAFA student. Project 2025 is a set of Republican policies created by The Heritage Foundation. Trump has denied his involvement in anything related to Project 2025, despite implementing their policies in the past.

“I’m voting because I don’t want to lose my basic rights, even if it seems like a trivial thing to do,” Jappah said. 

Parker Trager and Lazz Ray, two first-year students at Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, stated that they will not be voting in the presidential election, despite many of their peers doing so. “I didn’t get my ballot in time, and I just don’t like any of the candidates,” Ray said. 

“Electoralism is a mere form of distraction from systemic issues. It’s an illusion that we have a site or influence in our government,” Trager said.

He said that he feels voting will not ultimately lead to change for the better. “American politics, in general, affects the third world more than it does for our own country as such. I think those important issues at hand are the genocide of Palestinians.”  

During the 2022 midterm elections, Gen Z had a record-breaking turnout, voting at a higher rate in their first midterm election than any other generation before them. According to a report by the Gen Z-led organization, Voters of Tomorrow, Gen Z is said to surpass the early voting projection by 20%.  

Despite hesitancy in leaning toward specific candidates, some TNS students still feel that voting is important. Hsu believes it’s important to vote as a way to have a say in policies or changes happening in the U.S. “America is very diverse. And I think we have to have everybody’s voice heard,” Hsu said. 

Lottie Horton, a first-year student at Lang, said not voting would do more harm than good. “It’s kind of dumb not to vote. If you don’t vote, you’re literally saying fuck you to everyone who has worked hard to vote, and you’re supporting the people who are actively voting against minorities and people of color and women and just everyone … People have died for my right to vote as a woman and a black person … [it’s] so incredibly important that I do.”