I Asked College Students To Anonymously Share Who They’re Voting For In November And Why — Here’s What They Revealed

Hello, everyone! With less than 2 weeks until Election Day, we’re back for another round of BuzzFeed’s 2024 Election Diaries!

This weekly series highlights different groups of voters nationwide to find out what political issues are most important to them AND who they plan to support for president in 2024.

68% of respondents to our poll said they were supporting Kamala Harris.

And 11% said they were supporting Jill Stein.

Whether you agree or not, here’s what 15 college students had to say:

All photos are AI-generated for anonymity.

1. “I am supporting Kamala because I am legitimately terrified of what will happen if I don’t. As this election is coming up, I have friends who are registering to vote and planning on voting for the first time because they are worried about what will happen. Personally, I’m scared of what will happen to my rights. I’m scared of what will happen to the rights of my best friend, who is Muslim, and her family, who immigrated to the US.”

2. “This is the second election I’ve been old enough to vote in. I voted early yesterday for Jill Stein! She wants to raise the minimum wage to $25, cancel student debt (laughs nervously at future grad school debt), and stop sending weapons to Israel, and Medicare for all.”

3. “As a college student, gun violence is my top issue in this election. I believe Kamala Harris is the clear choice. I’m not even sure why it’s a tight race or why anyone is even considering voting for Donald Trump. Harris has consistently shown she is for the people and has stated she will ban assault rifles. She will also make sure we have red flag laws. Harris has a plan, and Donald clearly doesn’t. He is out for vengeance and is incredibly narcissistic. We need to turn the page on his hatred and move forward with a new generational leader who will protect Americans.”

4. “I’m a student at Palomar University who was previously undecided, but it’s gotten so bad in California that I’ve decided to vote for Trump. Despite not liking him very much, I’m working a minimum-wage job in an era where I can hardly afford to pay for gas. I just can’t continue living like this; economically speaking, things were MUCH better under Trump.”

5. “I’m a student at Winona State University in Minnesota, and my top issues in this election are abortion rights and gun laws. I’m supporting Kamala Harris because she’s proven throughout the gear-up to this election that she cares about and understands the issues that mean the most to me.”

6. “The war crimes being committed and funded around the world by the US (like Gaza, Lebanon, etc.) and the fact that we keep funding billions of dollars to Israel, a foreign government, to commit genocide when we could be using it to support our own American citizens are my top issues. We could use that money for healthcare, student loans, teachers, homelessness, disaster relief, etc. I’m voting for Jill Stein because she wants the genocide in Gaza/Lebanon to end.”

7. “As a cybersecurity grad student, I want to make sure the correct security policies are enforced to protect American data — including SSN information, bank information, and selling data via the dark market. Harris and her acknowledgment of policy drafts coming in from security professionals in the technology field are promising, instead of seeing a candidate who doesn’t bother to care and make any statements about protecting the data of their people.”

8. “I am a transgender man, and LGBTQ+ rights are my top issue. I had to leave the country due to anti-trans legislation. The people like me and I are in survival mode. Harris believes that I am a human and deserve equal rights. Trump doesn’t. It’s that simple.”

9. “I’m actually still deciding whether to vote or not, but if I do, it’s going to be for Jill Stein. I’m Palestinian-American, in Illinois, the state with the biggest Palestinian population in the country. We even have a Little Palestine. I don’t know a single person who’s going to vote for Harris. Every Arab and Muslim group in the area has endorsed Jill.”

10. “As both a woman and a member of the queer community, I am terrified of what another Trump presidency could do to the rights that we have fought long and hard for. Overturning Roe v. Wade was just the beginning, and we should be scared. I’m not saying Kamala is perfect or that I 100% agree with all of her policies, but she is by far the best choice and at least gives us hope to restore what has been taken from us, even if she doesn’t further those rights.”

11. “I would love to have a woman as President, but Kamala is not it. She says that she is for women, but not women inside of the womb. She doesn’t care about United States citizens but is sending billions of dollars to other countries and helping dangerous illegal immigrants. Donald Trump is the better choice. He will also have better foreign policy, which will be better for the whole world. I miss the days when gas was cheaper and prices were down.”

12. “I’m a student at CNU, and education is my top priority. If Trump is reelected and Project 2025 is put into action, I’m screwed, and so are other teachers all across the nation. I’m currently teaching 5th grade, which teaches a lot of science content, and I don’t need conservatives pushing their agenda to teach blatantly incorrect information to my 10-year-old students.”

13. “I literally want to move to Minnesota when I leave college for a couple of years because Tim Walz has made a safe haven for trans people and supported the education system, things Wisconsin has gone back on. I am voting for Walz/Harris because I believe a woman has a right to reproductive health care. I take birth control for my medical condition, but that could stop under Trump. Also, as a person with severe mental health issues and some physical ailments, healthcare is somewhat affordable for me because of the insurance plan I get from my parents.”

14. “I’m not a Democrat, but here’s the thing — someone is going to win. That someone will make decisions that affect my life for the REST of my life, and I don’t want that someone to be Donald Trump. The only way to prevent that is to vote for the person who has enough momentum to block him, and that’s Kamala.”

15. “I noticed that there’s a lot more scary things to say about Trump compared to Harris. Even the ads that Trump endorses against Harris don’t make sense; you can disprove them. Harris at least shows awareness of people at my level, the middle class. Also, I certainly feel more comfortable voting for someone who supports women making their own decisions.”

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and we’ll see you for the next round.

All responses have been edited for length/clarity.