Your Voice, Your Vote
Emily Wellman, 23
First-time voter Emily Wellman owns a hair salon in Newport and is currently building her first home with her partner. In 2020, she felt like the issues didn’t impact her, but now that she’s a business and property owner, they do.
Plus, she’s more confident in making her own decision about who to vote for, without being influenced by others. Four years ago, Wellman heard a lot of voices telling her which candidates to choose, but didn’t feel she had a real grasp on the ballot, so she didn’t vote. This time, she researched “to know who we’re voting in,” regardless of the opinion of her parents or pop stars.
“Everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon of what’s trendy,” Wellman said.
She would like to see smaller government, with less control over personal decisions. Even more than that, she’d like to see less polarization and political conflict.
“People are either not willing to share [their opinions], or they’re oversharing,” she said. “Why can’t we meet in the middle?”
Interview with Matthew Labrecque
Brooke Tasker,
18
Brooke Tasker, 18, won’t be voting in the general election because she feels she’s “not educated enough to make a vote.” To the freshman at Colby Sawyer College in New London, it feels impossible to find impartial information on the candidate.
“There are so many biases,” she said. “When you’re looking for stuff, no matter what you find, it’s trying to sway you.”
As she get older, Tasker wants to learn more about the candidates and make an informed choice on the ballot.
“I know I should be voting as a U.S. citizen,” she said.
Interview with Emalee Ruiz
Satoya Komura,
20
Satoya Komura, 20, is unsure if he’ll vote on Tuesday, because he feels torn by the people around him.
“My family is on one side and my friends are on the other side,” he said. “I feel like if I pick one, I’ll definitely be wrong.”
He also has a logistical concern. His passport has a typo, and he’s worried that it might cause him to be turned away at the polls. Considering that he’d have to drive about 70 minutes one-way from his college in New London to his polling place in Keene, the idea of being turned away is a big deterrent.
“If I show up, that’s half the work,” he said.
Still, he added, “I really should take part.”
Interview with Grey dunlap
Interview with Nick Scalera
Ryan Valley, 19
Ryan Valley, 19, won’t be voting Tuesday because he feels apathetic about both candidates. His polling place is “too far” to get to, considering that there’s “no good option,” he said.
Interview with Strawb Smith
Molly Macklin,
20
Molly Macklin, 20, spent about thirty minutes researching candidates down the ballot using a website that allows perspective voters to see where candidates land on key issues.
“I try to keep myself very informed,” she said.
Macklin is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and said LGBTQ+ rights and abortion access are key issues for her. Now that she knows where candidates stand on those issues, she feels informed and eager to vote on Tuesday in New London.
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Interview with Carson Doherty
Interview with Patrick proctor
Brady Curley,
18
Brady Curley, 18, doesn’t have any solid plans to vote on Nov. 5, although he’s still open to changing his mind.
“It depends on what I read and if I agree with one of them enough” to make the effort to vote, he said.
As for non-presidential candidates, Curley said, “I need to [learn] more on the rest of the ballot.”
Interview with Ash Gartland
Interview with Ash Logainne Mackensen
Lena Caouette,
18
Lena Caouette, 18, is a freshman at Colby Sawyer College in New London. She already voted by absentee ballot in her home precinct of Milan, New Hampshire, north of Berlin.
When the ballot arrived, she filled it out and returned it without mentioning it to anyone.
“I haven’t talked to friends because it’s such a touchy subject…” she said. “It’s easier not to talk about it.”
Body autonomy informed Caouette’s voting down the entire ballot, she said.
“I want to be able to make my own choices about everything for my body and health,” she said.