By Sophia Willard ‘29, Amanda Buenida ‘29, Sara Graves ‘26, Annika Beenhakker ‘26, Sofia Ernst ‘29, Sadie Masket ‘27, Kelly Dixon ‘28, Grace Kamps ‘29, and Elise Hendricks ‘28
Illustration by Maggie Holsapple ‘29
On Nov. 3, polls opened promptly at 6 a.m. in New York State to kick off the final day of voting for the 2026 Midterm Elections. The race is closely watched around the country as Democrats fight to take back control of both the House and Senate and potentially curb the Trump Administration amid rising gas prices, a crumbling economy, and a long-running war in Iran. Our reporters went around Sarah Lawrence College and the surrounding area to speak to people about their experiences on Election Day. Polls are open in New York until 9 p.m.
Just Vote: “It’s No Big Deal!”
By Sophia Willard ‘29
If you ask the two elderly gentlemen sitting in the green chairs on Barb Lawn about their election day, you’ll be met with a narrative from either end of the voting spectrum. When asked if he voted today, Richard, who was sporting a pair of sunglasses for the big day, responded: “Maybe later.” His friend, Rocco, gave Richard a rather peeved expression under his veteran ball cap, before offering his half of the story: “Wanna know about someone who did vote?”
Westchester’s election day kicked off with a bang as nearly 300 voting machines that counted the ballots promptly malfunctioned once the polls opened at 6 am. The crisis was blamed on programming issues, but the rumors did not deter Rocco from hitting the polls bright and early Tuesday morning: “We had heard something about not being able to vote; I said it can't be that big a deal!” The Bronxville native explained the process to be easier than he thought. “It was maybe a 15-minute ordeal, and there were a decent number of people there.”
What the two gentlemen could agree on, however, was contempt for the modern-day mail-in options for voting, and they bickered over how they stunt everything in the process. Said Rocco: “You used to know the day of. Now it’s this and that with mail-in; you never know until way later!” They also shared an extreme dislike for the ‘I Voted’ stickers. “I already voted,” both agreed, “I ain't putting that stuff on!”
A Subdued November Third
by Amanda Buendia ‘29
Vivid posters obscure campus walls. Come join Young Democratic Socialists of America at Sarah Lawrence College, Peace Action, International Relations Society. The youth is boiling. Sarah Lawrence College is a hotbed of social change, after all. Zohran Mamdani’s orange and blue pins pierce students’ backpacks all across campus. “Democracy Matters” — the laptop stickers in every seminar say so themselves.
In spite of this, the Sarah Lawrence College Post Office lobby is deserted this election day. Students trickle in, triggering the bells above the door frame to ding their welcome. Their exchanges are quick. They leave with an Amazon package in hand.
Six envelopes have broken this formula today. Maybe five. They were shuttled off to the Bronxville Post Office in two batches. The last Sarah Lawrence delivery into town fell sharply at 3 p.m. today. The midterms are out of the school’s hands now. The second to last minute is over.
The post office did not fall silent today. The past few weeks have not seen swarms of students clutching ballots. There have been a handful per day, agree the Post Office staff. Richard Young stated that the past fourteen days have not been exceptionally busy. Students tend to pick up packages and pick up their ballots in the same trip. They come back with the circles inked in about two hours, agreed Daniel Rivera.
A few procrastinated ballots hit the post office counter calmly over eight hours, stillness then consuming the lobby again.
Sighed Rivera: “It’s just another election day.”
Statelines at Sarah Lawrence
By Sara Graves ‘26
Sarah Lawrence College students are often lumped into one amalgamation of people. The same thoughts, opinions, and dining halls. Come election day, though, many students are voting in different states on different issues. There’s one important thing campus can all agree on: “Pokemon go to the polls,” one freshman said, referencing a Hilary Clinton meme from 2016. Another nodded and added, “It’s sexy to vote”
As Kai Garcia says, it’s our responsibility to vote. There are consequences for those who are unable to leave their place of residence. “People, whenever they move away, they never vote because they’re like, oh, it’s so hard to get [absentee ballots] here. And I feel like it doesn’t matter if it’s hard.”
They know those consequences all too well. “Florida became an open carry state, and that's specifically why I moved away. I don't feel safe in my home anymore… because of how people are not voting.”
Gabby Powell, ‘30, says that San Francisco has a different issue than gun control. She doesn’t like her current Mayor, and wants him gone. “He will literally attend the opening of an envelope…” One thing they can agree on: humor will help us through.
One of the many great aspects of Sarah Lawrence is that in the same breath as speaking to a weary Floridian, you can speak to an (at least somewhat) confident San Franciscan. And they’ll both be hilarious. Now is a time to respect our differences, learn something about a new place, and ask someone if they voted. It’s sexy.
Francesca and Frank
By Annika Beenhakker, ‘26
Francesca Jereis, 23, has been standing outside of the Yonkers Public School 30 since 6:00 a.m. this morning and will be until closing time at 9:00 p.m. She boards a flight tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. to return to her studies at Georgetown Medical School. “I am handing out pamphlets for my brother and telling people to vote for him,” Jereis clarifies.
Only two years older than Francesca, Frank is running for a seat on the United States Assembly in the 2026 Midterm Elections. “I don’t lead that he [Frank] is a Republican or Democrat, I lead that he’s my brother,” Jereis explains. Frank and Francesca are Yonkers-born native New Yorkers with big smiles and an even bigger family: “We’re all over the city right now.” Francesca interrupts herself to yell out “Vote for Jereis” at an elderly passerby. Her older brother is advocating for a variety of issues, including lower Con-Ed bills, protecting the Teacher’s Union, and also protecting people’s pensions.
Yonkers Public School 30 sits in the center of a “tough location between Republicans and Democrats.” Francesca explains that most of the demographic she has encountered thus far has been mostly middle-aged and older individuals. “It helps that I am someone young with a smile. People are more receptive to that in general.” Though Jereis is concerned by the lack of young voters she has seen today, she explains that, “We have high hopes. You want someone you know there at these locations because it can make a difference.”
The Prerogative of the Vote
By Sofia Ernst ‘29
Somewhere in the sea of freshmen, stark blond hair and bright red shoes stand out amongst the crowd. These are some defining features of student Javier Narvaezesquerdo, ‘30, known to those closest to him as Javi. Narvaezesquerdo, freshly 18, should’ve been spending his first election day as a legal adult hunched over a ballot; instead, he was left wondering what this election may mean for the legislature of his country.
Narvaezesquerdo isn’t an international student; rather, he hails from the island of Puerto Rico, one of the US’s 5 inhabited territories. Even though he is granted citizenship, Narvaezesquerdo is not allowed to vote in US elections. “We have voices, but we don’t have the vote,” said Narvaezesquerdo.
Puerto Rico’s laws and legislation are controlled primarily by the US government. “Election day means nothing to me,” Narvaezesquerdo said. “We have a representative, but no say as to what happens.”
While discussing Puerto Rico’s current political state, Narvaezesquerdo described a desire for the country to become a state, a goal that one of the country’s three political parties is also hoping for. “As a territory, we’re not able to do much and do not have the opportunities or benefits that states do.”
Puerto Rico has remained reliant on the attention of the United States’ government on Puerto Rican issues. The lack of attention Puerto Rico gets is a matter that Narvaezesquerdo hopes to bring attention to during this election cycle: “We rely on the United States for aid. Puerto Rico has been looking for more equality and help.”
Westchester County Ballot Machines Fail
By Sadie Masket ‘27
Standing outside of Public School 30 in Yonkers, Francesca Jereis, 23, handed out flyers campaigning for her brother, Frank Jereis. Frank is running for the New York State Assembly at just 25. The Jereis family has been involved in supporting Democratic campaigns for as long as Francesca can remember, but this election is different, and not just because her brother is running for assembly. It’s different because the polling machines are down all across Westchester County.
Election Day workers Patti Gilhooley and Michelle Koross sat at a polling booth inside the school, handing out ballots while another worker held a bright orange “emergency” bag, where the folded ballots were inserted by the voters. Koross said that the county has four ways to vote on Election Day, and the first two ways, the counting machines and a backup machine, aren’t working. While this is not unheard of, it will slow down the voting process, seeing as the bags will be monitored by the Board of Elections until they are counted with bipartisan supervision.
A large chunk of Westchester County is within New York’s 17th Congressional District, with a close race between the Republican and Democratic nominees for the House of Representatives: Mike Lawler and Cait Conley. The Democratic Party needs to flip three seats during this election to take control of the House, and this tight race could be one of them. This crucial seat could take days before the results are clear and the election is called, due to the polling issues within the county.
Voting Blue at Sarah Lawrence
By Kelly Dixon ‘28
On the lawns of Sarah Lawrence, students are choosing obligation over passion. To vote or not to vote, that is the question. Most Sarah Lawrence students are registered Democrats (or Green Party members), so voting blue is standard. Although some SLC students may have a distaste for the Democrats at large, students are voting left despite PACs and policies.
Sophomore class president Olivia Elmore, ‘29, is a New York City resident and registered voter. Elmore voted all Democrat in this midterm election. As an active member of student government, Elmore feels the only way to overthrow Trump is within the Democratic Party. “A lot of people are interested in this middle ground or this third party, which I totally and completely see. But we need more democrats in power and in the House, so that we can get Trump out.”
Elmore voted for Governor Kathy Hochul, despite having conflicting opinions on Hochul's policies. “I voted for Kathy Hochul. I understand why people don’t like Hochul. She signed a new bill for people whose job is to take care of a disabled member of their family. [Now] they cannot get paid for it anymore, and their family members would have to go into a nursing home. That really hit my family hard.”
Elmore ultimately believes that voting Democrat right now shouldn’t be a question. “Right now it’s hard to be picky and choosy about the wrong things democrats are doing because both parties are not doing great, but the Republicans are worse.”
A Tale of Two Voters
By Grace Kamps ‘29
The South Lawn sat empty under a clear blue sky and trees raining orange and browning leaves; empty, other than one patchwork picnic blanket. Upon it sat freshmen Beka Ruehle, ‘30 and Sabrina Moore, ‘30, who spent the afternoon sunning during one of the semester’s last days of warmth and light past 4:30. However, for Ruehle, an idyllic autumnal day couldn’t rake away election day anxiety.
Moore, a Los Angeles and cemented blue-state native, described the day as “pretty casual”; there was a bit more at stake for Ruehle, a Wisconsinite. As of the 2024 election, Wisconsin was one of the five states decided by a margin of 3% or less: in other words, a swing state. “For me it’s more stressful because the governor’s race is really close,” said Ruehle. “One of the candidates is super radical and endorsed by AI data centers and Trump.”
Current Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers is a Democrat; however, over the past decade, Wisconsin has continuously flipped sides. This election’s candidates are Tom Tiffany (R) and David Crowley (D). Though Ruehle did not vote for Crowley in the midterms - preferring his Democratic-Socialist opponent, Francesca Hong - she still feels it necessary to cast her midterm ballot. The construction of AI data centers is rising, including one near Ruehle’s home, and is accompanied by an uptick in the Wisconsin cost of living - making it all the more important to Ruehle. “There’s definitely going to be an increase in data centers, and I don’t think the cost of living is going to go down.” Though 2026 is also an election year for California’s Governor, Moore isn’t as concerned. “Maybe on a local level, it’s a bit more stressful, but we’ve been blue for decades.” Nevertheless, Moore cast her ballot as well.
Pressure and Privilege: Why Generation Z Should Exercise Their Right To Vote
By Elise Hendricks ‘28
There is a clear divide between Generation Z when it comes to different voting experiences. One side of Generation Z finds it necessary to pick between the lesser of two evils regarding the candidates they vote for, while the other side of Generation Z can’t choose due to the flaws of each candidate and decide to scratch the idea of voting in this midterms cycle entirely.
This debate was at the forefront of the 2024 presidential election. However, in the midterms election cycle, Generation Z is making their voices heard about the right to vote and how this right should be exercised.
Judy Young is a student at Sarah Lawrence College who was born and raised in New York City. This midterm cycle is her second time voting aside from the presidential election in 2024 and has casted her ballot in the midterms already via absentee ballot. When asked about her experience voting, Young touched on the privilege that comes with voting and the disbelief that she experienced when learning that some of Gen Z chooses not to vote. “I know a lot of people who don’t like Kathy [Hochul],” explained Young. “But, I definitely think you can’t just not vote.”
Dean Sylvan is also a Sarah Lawrence student and New York City native who expanded on Generation Z and the idea that some of Generation Z finds voting irrelevant. “People our age are turned off to the idea of voting because they think it doesnt matter, “ said Sylvan. “They think both sides are not that great, but still… don’t not vote.”
“I think this election has woken people up to the fact that not only the presidential election matters,” said Sylvan. “But the people in your local community can also make a big difference.”
