On Nov. 3, Americans will vote in midterm elections for local, state and national races held across the country. With many polls predicting a blue wave in the House and Senate, students are considering their political priorities to inform their vote.
The Herald spoke to students around campus to hear how they were approaching Election Day.
In a recent Q&A about the midterm elections, Professor of Public Policy and Political Science Eric Patashnik, who is also the director of the Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy, said that “Brown students are highly engaged in this year’s midterm elections.”
“Many students see them as an opportunity to express their views on President Trump’s performance since he returned to office,” he added.
Sam Eskander ’28 said students may feel a greater sense of influence in the local elections that dominate the midterms than in presidential elections. “In presidential (elections), people feel like they have less of a stake or an impact, especially in a blue state,” he said.
A day before the midterms, postdoctoral researchers Joseph Essig and William Kidd hosted the latest installment of the Taubman Center’s Politics and Policy Lunches, “Midterm Election Predictions!” At the lunch in Stephen Robert ’62 Hall, the two encouraged students to come with “their boldest election predictions.”
Utilizing a poll, Essig and Kidd tracked how attendees were feeling about the midterms. Among students, foreign policy and international conflict were some of the most commonly mentioned issues.
Given the conflicts involving Iran, Israel and Palestine, Kidd noted that foreign policy could play a larger role in this election than in previous midterms.
Kidd also emphasized the economy as a potential driver of Tuesday’s results due to the increasing cost of living. “Even Republicans and Independents are kind of laying the blame for this at Trump,” Kidd added, which could drive a potential “big blue wave.”
“To many people, the big number is what you are seeing at the gas station,” Essig explained.
With students voting in states across the nation, the Brown community has its eyes on a wide range of issues.
Kevin Truong ’29, who will be voting in Washington, has been following issues like public school funding and legislation regulating transgender athletes.
Eskander, who has already mailed his ballot to Massachusetts, said he thought there were “a lot of interesting ballot questions,” including proposals concerning nonpartisan primaries, gun laws and marijuana regulations.
Sophia Diamond ’29, who plans to vote in California, said she was following issues like “standard healthcare initiatives, distributed healthcare, programs for (the) homeless… and tax increases for millionaires (and) billionaires.”
Jack Mullen ’28, who will be voting in Rhode Island, said he has not yet decided how he will vote. He added that he has done “some quick research” so far, but “not as much as (he) would like.”
Some students told The Herald that they have found it difficult to keep up with the candidates and ballot questions in their home states.
Klara Zietlow ’29 said she planned to mail her California ballot but has not yet reviewed it. “It’s so thick,” she said of the ballot. She said she could not even remember all the positions up for election in her state.
According to the poll conducted at the Taubman Center lunch, 57% of attendees predicted that the Democratic Party would take control of the Senate. With students voicing disdain for the current political climate, many said they expected significant changes to government.
But Kidd cautioned students about the uncertainty of election forecasts. “The future is unwritten,” Kidd said. “Whatever you think is happening in the world of politics, tomorrow might be a completely different theme.”
Diamond said she hoped students would recognize that midterm elections matter even in states where one party is dominant. “If you don’t vote, then it could go the other way,” she said.
“We need to have younger voices” with stronger allegiance to their positions, Diamond said. “Our country is flailing, and we need better.”
Kidd and Essig also discussed the effectiveness of certain campaign messaging, and how developments in advertising — like the use of artificial intelligence — were likely to shape election outcomes.
“We’re seeing a lot more AI use this cycle, both in how the candidates are talking to each other and talking to voters,” Essig said. “The Trump campaign, for example, was using AI agents for part of their fundraising. Some campaigns are doing similar things.”
Miriam Davison is a Senior Staff Writer for University News covering Academics & Advising. She is a sophomore from Los Angeles, CA and plans to study tentatively the realm of International & Public Affairs and English, though her interests span from linguistics to history to music. In her free time, she plays on one of Brown's ultimate frisbee teams and likes writing silly poems.
