First-Time Wilkes Voters Hit the Polls on Election Day

First-Time Wilkes Voters Hit the Polls on Election Day

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For many of us, we are doing what we did four years ago. Mailing in our ballot or waiting in line to vote at our county's polling location. We know the drill. But for many others out there, it is also their first time exercising their right to vote in this year's presidential election. Their first time sharing their voices in the hope to shape America's future for the better. After being inundated with campaign emails, texts, commercials, ads, mailers and neighborhood canvassers the past year, the time has come to cast our ballot.

There is electricity in the air. The skies are blue and the sun is bright. The energy is nervous, excited, anxious, confident. President Greg Cant, a native of Australia, recounted how the voting process in his home country is a requirement. Penalties and fines are invoked for those who do not participate. As a newly-minted citizen of the United States, Cant is more than ready to vote for the first time ever. Even the idea of being in a voting booth provided some intrigue, adding that he and his wife, Angela, and their son, Jackson, feel like beginners to the voting process.

"I see voting as an obligation to our country," Cant said. For him, citizenship requires engagement, it is our civic duty and responsibility. Cant also believes that you need to be an informed voter. "No one can tell you how to vote, but as a citizen, you're obligated to know what you're doing," he said.

Alexandra "Alex" Peccerelli '29 is in a five-year program for biomedical engineering and is on the volleyball team. From East Stroudsburg, Pa., she is not only a first-year student at Wilkes, but also a first-time voter and she couldn't be more passionate and excited.

"I think it's important to vote to protect yourself, your family and the general public's rights by letting your voice be heard. For students, we have a lot of power that can affect our nation's well being as well as positively affect each other as college students," said Peccerelli.

Cole Jungwirth '24, MBA '25 hails from Minneapolis, Minn., and is on the golf and hockey teams at Wilkes. He also embarked on the voting journey for the first time. Jungwirth simplified his feelings toward voting through an honest sentiment that a lot of us probably have felt at some point or another. "I am excited to have voted for the first time, but also am unsure of how much an impact my vote will actually have," said Jungwirth. "But I went into it with an open mind."

The short answer to Jungwirth's uncertainty: it matters a lot. According to Vote.org, the largest nonpartisan voter registration platform in the United States, recently shared in September 2024 that it has registered one million voters during this year's election cycle, including "a record-breaking percentage of younger voters under 35" in comparison to the last presidential election in 2020. Of this million voters, people under the age of 35 account for 79% and 34% of those are 18-year-olds. For Pennsylvania, the platform registered approximately 37,000 voters.

There has been an insurmountable amount of political exposure for this election, as to be expected. In today's climate, it will only continue to increase in future elections not only through mainstream but in many other channels as well: podcasts, more and more powerhouse celebrities coming forward with endorsements, TikTok influencers and political debaters, political candidates starring on Saturday Night Live parodying themselves, to name a few. It can be quite challenging to discern objective news and media outlets and separate opinion and editorial contributions. For some, the confusion and constant feed of information is enough to want to bury their heads in the sand.

Not Peccerelli, however. "I don't think anybody should be afraid of voting. I think people should do proper research about each candidate and vote for the person who, they feel, will better America and its culture," she said.

Cant released an email to the campus community before Election Day, reminding all that as we exercise our civic duty and right to vote, we must remain respectful to each other and not only support our diverse campus but embrace different perspectives and beliefs. Further saying, "Making a difference in our community and in the world around us is at the heart of what a Wilkes education stands for."

"It's an honor and obligation, for me, patriotism is a verb, I am required to participate," said Cant.

First-time voting is a milestone to be celebrated in every way no matter the outcome of the election. "I will definitely continue to vote in future elections because I want to be involved and participate in our democracy," said Peccerelli.