This morning, at Oyster River High School in Durham, NH, some early voters spoke about their reasons for participating in the electoral process. With Election Day voting opening at 7 a.m., a line of eager voters was already waiting to cast their ballots.

A woman in her early 40s shared, “I am voting because I believe in the process. It is important for people my age to vote because it affects our daily lives. My age group is significantly impacted by who runs our government, and it affects my kids and my family. All of these things are important to me, and I want to be a part of that decision,” she said.

Voting is a fundamental aspect of democracy in the United States, allowing citizens to have a say in who governs them. This right empowers each individual who registers, ensuring that the nation is governed in the public’s best interest. The right to vote helps represent the diverse perspectives within the country, ensuring that all voices are heard.

“It is our duty for ourselves and our community, and it counts.” said a voter when asked to leave a message about the importance of voting.

Voting extends beyond individual responsibility; it encompasses the duty to future generations and the community at large. By participating in the electoral process, these voters contribute to shaping a government that is accountable and representative of their choice. Voters are influencing how the nation is run for years to come.

– TNH STAFF, Zoe Michael

The Faces of Durham Voters

Donovan Dimaria

“The most common answer I have heard to the question is to give yourself a voice, which I would have to agree with. While many people feel intimidated by how small they feel in the voting pool across an entire country, the general population will have relatively the same principles or values. Different people want to fulfill those principles differently and that is where one’s voice plays a role. For myself, voting pushes me to be more educated on understanding my personal values. While I have only been able to vote in the last two election cycles, I have had a greater part of my life being on the internet. And for many people on the internet, it becomes incredibly easy to let one or two people do the critical thinking for thousands of other people simply because it is easier. However, many sources that people take for granted can become less educated and involve less critical thinking if the curtain of personality is removed. This makes it more important than ever to have multiple sources to educate yourself with. In a world where many things are easily marked good and bad, being educated allows me to make more confident decisions rather than ignorance.”

Ava Morgan

“I’m nineteen. I’m a communications major. This election is extra important. Obviously, we have two very different candidates. I’m fighting for women’s freedom. I think Kamala’s ideas are amazing. and if we vote Trump back in office we’re taking, like, five steps backwards. So, inviting my own rights and the rights of all the women in my life honestly.”

Colin McCarthy

“I am a first time voter. I’m voting because I think it’s like my civic duty, you know, we have a right to vote, but it kind of is a privilege in the sense that it’s much newer in terms of history, like for a continuity of years, people were just at the wills of kings and monarchs. There’s places around the world that don’t have the right to vote, but, you know, while it is a right in the American government, it still is a privilege in that sense. And I want to exercise my privilege and vote for the things I believe in. Healthcare matters a lot, like accessibility and affordability of healthcare, LGBTQ issues matter a lot to me and just general quality of living for everybody.” 

AnnMarie Harris 

“Well, I’ve lived in Durham for 50-some-odd years, and I’m here to vote and support Kamala Harris and Walz, and I have daughters, and I really think it’s important to preserve women’s rights, and, of course, our Constitution and freedom. And I’m hopeful that things will somehow evolve into a more cooperative world.”  

Alan Holland

“You’re voting, you’re determining who’s going to represent you, both in Concord and nationally and so, if you want your views and your ideas heard, then your vote is important.” 

Timothy Horrigan

“Well, because, especially in my case, I’ve been a state rep for 16 years, so I know it. I know it makes a big difference, like who’s representing in the state legislature, and the same is true for all the other offices. And also this year, I kind of feel like democracy and the rule of law are endangered by Trump. I mean, Trump’s election was bad enough eight years ago, but now he’s had a very bad term as president and the January 6 insurrection, and then he’s been doing a lot of questionable things since then, too, and then even at the even the state level, I think we need stronger leadership.”

Matthew Wissler

“I think that we live in an extremely unique situation. I mean, you know, our country’s only been around for close to 300 years now, and it’s built on this whole premise. It’s the whole reason that we started the country. So it’s a gift that many people across the world wish they had, and I think not doing it is an injustice to them and those who wish that they had the privilege that we all have.” 

Mark Rittgers

“It’s important because politics affects every aspect of your life, the cost of groceries, of gas, being able to find a house, a job, foreign policy, immigration, health policy. There’s really no aspect of your life that isn’t touched by politics. So by not going to vote, you’re giving up like a huge chance to make those changes in your life without going and doing it directly, and especially as college students. When you’re learning you’re in a degree and you’re getting ready to go into the real world, it’s probably the most important part where you want a good economy, be able to have a good job, buy a house. So I think it’s particularly important for college students. Everything revolves around politics.” 

Emily Stamper

“I’m an Animal Science major and I’m a freshman. Why am I voting in this election? I am voting this election because I come from a very blue state, so I think that my vote will be more important in a swing state. I care a lot about, not only the state of our country at the moment, but also the state of our country in the future and how the outcome of this election would set us up for future endeavors; Abortion, women’s rights, taxes, foreign policies. I think that this is a difficult first election because there’s so much misinformation out there and there’s a lot of false narratives being pushed around by each side. 
And I think that it can be hard to differentiate between what’s real and what’s fake.”

Mackenzie Brown-Davis

“I’m a Civil Engineering and Sustainability dual major and I’m a sophomore this year. 
I am a first time voter and I am voting to protect the rights for myself and other women, for marginalized groups and minority groups and for our rights. I would definitely say human rights and just the opportunity to have differing opinions and to not be oppressed are the most pressing issues. 
I voted earlier today, there was more people there than I expected. Everyone at the polls were very nice.”

Sameer Usta

“Voting will always impact our lives tremendously for the next 4 years. It’ll determine how the country and the schools will run. Trump will do more for the economic state of the country. Kamala will contribute much more to the ways in which others should act and is much more of a well-represented president, being someone who is not a multiple-time felon. I believe in the financial and economic matters of my president. I believe that is the only way to help out the most people because you can’t make everyone happy, but at least that will affect the most people positively.”

Kelly Socia

“I have been commissioned by the New Hampshire Democratic party to shuttle voters from UNH to vote in place at the high school in Durham here. The shuttle is non-political, we want anybody who wants to vote to hop on the shuttle.” When asked what is important about his role today, “Getting the vote out! Getting people to vote. I was in Guam 45 years ago and in Guam, 98% of the registered voters will vote in an election. We’re lucky to get 77% in the election these days. This whole thing is just to get people out to vote, whoever you want to vote for, take advantage of it. You guys are the future, don’t sit back and let other people decide your future, decide your own future! I have been a political one since I was in high school, I actually grew up in Vermont. Civics was my favorite subject in the 9th grade, in the 4th grade I studied Vermont, and in 4th grade you studied Vermont history. So, I’ve always had an interest in Politics, but, this is party bus.”

Jaimini Viles

“I think voting is an important way to express your values and what’s important to you and I want to be able to do that as part of being a U.S citizen. I think more and more in elections and stuff in general, people need to be open and willing to kind of talk about what’s important to them, and not be afraid that if they say something that is not what their friends believe in that they’re gonna be shunned out of the group. So, I think it is really important to kind of encourage discussion between people who might have disagreeing beliefs. I might be wrong but I have a feeling that people are afraid that if they say something that might not be what their friends believe in or what majority of people around them believe in, that they’re going to be kind of like pushed away. You know it’s true that you can’t avoid having some beliefs that some people might disagree with and like you can’t avoid that we all live as like one big community and like depend on each other and I think it is really important to be able to recognize that we have a shared humanity and that there is nothing wrong with the fact that we disagree on certain topics. I think it is really important to foster this open discussion, really recognizing like we are all humans and we’re all trying to figure out what the best way to move forward is, and we’re all in that position together.”

Aidan Stevens

“I want my voice to be heard. To vote is your right to be heard. So, if one doesn’t vote, it is basically throwing your voice today. Once every four years you have that right to come out, speak your mind, and vote for who you believe is going to best run the country, and you know no matter what you respect one another, I feel like come presidential candidate, people have to unify instead of separate, that is a big thing for me. I don’t agree with the bipartisan argument. I believe there should be a middle ground candidate or at least 3 or 4 others where people should genuinely look at and research in order to get the bigger picture of both sides.”

Wayne Burton

“We’re campaigning to get votes to hopefully win. This would be my 5th term. (Burton is a candidate for the New Hampshire House.) I get concerned if people don’t understand what goes on in Concord and Washington affects them. Maybe not as much now but certainly in the future, and so we’re trying to create the better world so you folks will have air to breathe and water to drink and education for your kids. This is the one day of the year that you do something very important as the students and the rest of us the direction of the country. The turnout has been terrific but I mean certainly the tension between the national parties has never been more. It does cause the divisions we see and the tensions, and we really need each other to get things done.”

Emma Benevento

“I am a sophomore psychology major; I just feel like everyone’s vote matters. This is something I have been really excited for since I’m a first time voter.”

Annalise Lanoue 

“I’m a senior nursing major, and I’m voting so I can have my say in our U.S. democracy. This is my first presidential election.”

Elias Kacavas and Huw Collins

Kacavas: “Our job is just to make coming and voting more fun…just try to make it as fun as possible and encourage people in a sense, because the young vote in New Hampshire matters more than it does in Massachusetts or California. My mother is a teacher. I am a product of the public school system and I worked at my mothers school. I was a teacher for a year and helped out and saw the way the system works and all the cracks and all the things that can be fixed. I think I am big about public school education because it is a right and everyone should have access to the best possible education. I’m real

ly happy to be here and helping make whatever difference I can.”

Collins: “I think we’re both invested in making sure people get out to vote more than anything. Regardless of who you vote for, we feel like people’s voice really matters. We just feel passionately about the future of the country and want to encourage people to use their voices whichever way they’re going to vote. It’s actually my first time voting. I’ve never voted in a presidential campaign before. I became a citizen in 2021 from England. I felt passionately about American politics but I didn’t have the opportunity to use my voice. I think it is more important than ever to cast your ballot and make sure your voice is heard, so we are proud to do that today. I’ve seen personally my wife struggle to get covered for her birth control which I think is kind of a crazy situation in modern day America. America is a great country, but it’ll only remain great if we all use our voices to make sure that is the case and it has been really encouraging to see young people today coming out and waiting in long lines and sitting in buses persisting to make their voice heard. I think that is really important and I am proud of everyone here at UNH.”

Julia Fitzsimons 

“I graduated from the UNH class of 2024; our rights are on the line, you gotta vote!”

Special thanks to this project’s student contributors: Allyson Chelidona, Allison Cobiski, Riley Coron, Adria Meadvin, Pacy Morgado, Adrianna Morse, Peter Samuelson, Aidan Tompkins, and their teacher, Ian Lenahan.