Last Tuesday, many students across campus tuned in to watch the first presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, which sparked mixed emotions among student voters.
With only two months to go in an unpredictable campaign, the debate was a highly anticipated event where voters could gauge how well the candidates responded under pressure from their opponents and hear contrasting plans for the country.
Two separate watch parties were held on campus for students to watch the debate and discuss important issues with their peers. One watch party, hosted by Civic Engagement and Housing and Residence Life, invited student organizations with a political focus and the general student body to gather together in the Yellow Jacket Room at North Avenue Residence Hall. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People at Tech (NAACP) hosted the other watch party in the Smithgall Student Services building.
The Technique attended both events to see how students felt about the debate, the candidates and the upcoming presidential election.
Jayde Nelson, Director of Civic Engagement, said that Civic Engagement hosted the North Ave. watch party to help inform prospective student voters and serve as a forum for open, civil discussion.
“We wanted to organize this event because we wanted students to be knowledgeable about what’s going on in the political realm,” said Nelson. “We wanted to make sure that they had a place where they were able to come and congregate and talk about the issues that are happening within the United States.”
Chase Pettiford, fourth-year BIOL and NAACP President, said it was important for the NAACP to host this event to get students involved and start policy discussions.
“What we are trying to do this semester is to get college students as involved in policy as possible. I know there has been a lack of hope or disinterest in the election, and we are trying to change that narrative and show there is something to look forward to in November. We are a nonpartisan organization, but there are a lot of policies on the table that affect colored people, that people need to know about,” Pettiford said.
Pettiford was one of many people at the event who were concerned about a lack of interest by many voters. Bianca Chuma, third-year BME and NAACP Health Chair, said college-age people still shy away from being politically educated.
“There are who say they are not voting in our age group, a lot of people who are very uneducated on what is going on, and instead of trying to get through that uncomfortability of figuring out what is going on and learning about new things, people just shut down and decide not to vote,” Chuma said.
Despite voter apathy concerns, NAACP leaders had to set up extra television screens as the Black Culture, Innovation and Technology event space quickly filled up, and many students filled the lobby of the Smithgall building.
In the Yellow Jacket Room, student organizations such as the Voters of Tomorrow, College Democrats and Cultivote had an hour to table before Dr. Michael Hoffmann, Professor for Philosophy at the School of Public Policy, delivered the opening speech.
Hoffmann cautioned against the growing polarization in the United States, citing “The World of Yesterday” by Stefan Zweig and “Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop” by Lee Drutman as examples of what American politics could become. He urged the audience to engage in the democratic process beyond casting a vote every four years.
Chuma, in the NAACP room, also said that polarization in the country was hard to watch, but she was choosing to approach the debate with a good attitude.
“I feel like we are in a very critical state, which is very sad and hard to watch, but you also have to find the comedy. I think the country, in my very personal opinion, is getting more conservative, and everyone is getting even more polarized than we were in 2016 and 2020, and there is no way out,” Chuma said.
Despite efforts to invite as many perspectives as possible to the North Ave event, the College Democrats were the only student organization with an explicit party affiliation to table in the Yellow Jacket Room. The College Republicans were invited to attend the event but had no representatives there. Kate Bossler, second-year PUBP and Public Outreach Officer for the College Democrats, said that the organization welcomes bipartisan events.
“While we do promote Democratic values, one of our main goals is also just to increase voter engagement and voter registration…I think having events with co-involvements also gets other people that might have come from a Republican background or come from a Democratic background to explore other political ideologies,” Bossler said.
Voters of Tomorrow at Georgia Tech, a nonpartisan political organization, echoed similar sentiments.
“We like to collaborate with other political organizations,” said Lillian Hanson, third-year PUBP and Vice-President of Voters of Tomorrow. “We’ve collaborated with Cultivote and YDSA [Young Democratic Socialists of America] before, but we just thought this could be a good opportunity to expand to different clubs, especially clubs on the other side of the aisle.”
Many people shared concerns with the Technique about potential voters not being motivated to show up to the polls on election day. While tabling, Cultivote, College Democrats and Voters of Tomorrow all displayed QR codes that allowed attendees to check their voter registration. Pettiford said that the NAACP is working hard to increase voter turnout.
“One of the major things that we are doing is having people request absentee ballots at all of our general body meetings and tablings, which we do every two weeks on Tech Green. If you think there is even a chance that you won’t get home on Nov. 5, it means you need to request an absentee ballot. The other thing is that we’re going to try and organize rides during early voting to try and get people to the surrounding counties,” Pettiford said.
Nelson affirmed the importance of student organizations in increasing civic engagement, describing her office’s role as more supportive.
“We really lean on the knowledge of our students and the way that they are able to disseminate information about voting or community service or anything of that nature. You all, as students, have the loudest voices,” Nelson said.
Many students also told the Technique they were excited about the debate and were hoping to see the visions each candidate had for the future.
“I was [excited] because this is the first time I hope to see some intellectual banter. Typically, it has been lots of shadiness, less facts, less policy talk, things that really affect like the everyday American person,” said Kathryn Owusu, fourth-year CE. “I think [Harris] is good to challenge Trump in that sense and come with the hard facts.”
JP Kerrane, first-year CS, recognized that the debate would be a pivotal moment for Harris and expressed excitement for her performance.
“Predicted highlight is Kamala’s first chance speaking to the nation as a presidential candidate. I feel like before, I think she’s had like one press conference. I think this is her biggest political moment so far, where Trump has had a couple of debates,” Kerrane said.
Voters at the NAACP event said they were looking out for several different issues across the night, including the war in Gaza, abortion and the environment. Some voters, however, were not concerned about any policy issue in particular but rather how each candidate responded to the questions.
At North Ave, participants were invited up to the whiteboard to answer the question: “What is the most important issue for you this election?” The most popular answer was abortion, appearing six times. Other answers ranged from climate change to gun policy to simply “surviving the next four years.”
First-year voter McKenzie Blackledge, first-year BA, said that she was not looking for any explicit topic but was more concerned with whether the candidates answered the questions presented to them or attempted to circumvent answering the question. Blackledge believed that the way the candidates framed their responses was one of the best ways to judge the candidate’s quality.
As the candidates sparred on the debate stage, the audience at the NAACP event watched from a projector in the dimly lit event space. Half a mile away at North Ave, the sound of Coca-Cola cans popping open punctuated the moments between lively audience reactions. Many students gave the debate their full attention and listened carefully as each candidate responded to the questions and attacked their opponent; however, some students stole away to finish up their homework while keeping one eye peeled on the debate.
Arya Desai, fourth-year CE, told the Technique that he came to the North Ave watch party for the pizza, but stayed for the debate. He noted that he was immediately impressed by Harris’s entrance.
“I really liked it when Kamala Harris went up to Donald Trump and shook his hand, because that is very representative of what a leader should be in this country,” Desai said.
The audience did not hold back their reactions to what was happening on stage. One of the biggest reactions came when Trump inaccurately claimed that immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating other resident’s dogs and cats.
The crowd responded to his remarks with laughter and confusion. During an advertisement break, one student, Trejean Justice, third-year CE, said that Trump was getting “trounced.”
“Just watching the debate, Harris is basically allowing him to make a fool of himself. He is rambling on and on about the same thing that keeps going on about borders and immigration. He is rambling and contradicting himself without offering any policy,” Justice said.
Another moment that stood out at the NAACP event was when the candidate spoke about race. One of the debate moderators, David Muir, specifically asked about Trump’s comments on Harris’ race. The NAACP crowd was silent while listening to Trump’s response but burst with laughter when he concluded.
In the Yellow Jacket room, the moderators earned several rounds of applause and laughter for his clarifying comments. The audience responded positively when Linsey Davis stated that “there is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it’s born” and again when he pointed out the FBI found that violent crime is decreasing in the US.
One student at the NAACP event said that the environment was her top issue. Noelle Watkins, fourth-year ENVE and NAACP Environmental Justice Chair, was disappointed by how both candidates discussed the environment.
“I would like to hear about what Harris plans to do after the Inflation Reduction Act. But it was also disappointing to hear about her stance on fracking. Trump says she will give it up, but who knows. I would like to hear some more things about dealing with the environment and climate change,” Watkins said.
Watkins’ disappointment continued after the moderators asked a direct question about climate change; Harris attempted to answer the question before jumping to attack, and Trump made almost no effort to address the question.
Generally, the attitude around the debate was one of disappointment; however, many students said they were optimistic about voting in November. Watkins said she understood that by adjusting her policy goals, Harris might be able to convince undecided voters but said Harris’s policy on fracking was “not what I want to hear.”
Yet, many people felt optimistic about the upcoming election and saw it as a time to make their voices heard. Pettiford said she was excited for the election because she felt that more and more people were getting interested in politics and paying attention.
“I am excited for November. I genuinely think this is a historic election, and I think people are starting to gain an interest where maybe there wasn’t an interest. That is really impactful, as it makes sure that our leadership is representing what the majority of Americans want,” Pettiford said.
After the debate, students quickly started packing up and returning to their homes. Alyssa Wright, fifth-year BME, said the debate did not change her mind, but she felt more informed and confident about who she was supporting.
“After the debate, I felt more informed about what the candidates were supporting and what they were not. I feel like [the debate] reaffirmed my thoughts,” Wright said.
Wright also said that her biggest issue was the war in Gaza, and she thought Harris had a more clear message but not necessarily the message that Wright wanted to hear.
Despite concerns following the debate, many students said they were excited to be able to cast their vote in November. Watkins said she is still a proud voter, and even if she knows millions of other people will be voting in November, her vote still matters.
“I honestly have no idea how November is going to turn out, but I am proud to be able to vote, and I am not going to lose my vote. I’m one of 100 something, 200 million, 300 million, so even if I am just one person, I still want to make a difference,” Watkins said.
The last day to register to vote in Georgia is Monday, Oct. 7.