Nearly 11 million new people have become eligible to vote since the last presidential election. On a university campus, they’re easy to come by.
At the MU student center, students gathered to watch as the results rolled in from their first-ever presidential vote.
Young voters tend to lean left, and the crowd was vocal in their excitement when Hillary Clinton won crucial states.
“That was really cool for this to be my first election, just to say that,” said Lydia Ghuman, a senior majoring in Gender and Women’s Studies and English at MU. “To have a woman on the ballot and be able to mark that. I wasn’t really thinking about it when I submitted it, but then when I think about it I almost teared up today. Silver lining.”
Kara Hughes is a sophomore studying psychology. She cast her first vote for Clinton, although she wasn’t thrilled by either candidate.
“It felt good being able to put my political opinions out there,” Hughes said. “It’s just nice to have a voice and take part in deciding who gets to lead this country.”
Boone County voted blue in the presidential election, but Missouri’s 10 electoral votes went to Donald Trump.
