Students on edge as election results came in

As the election night unfolded and votes poured in from around the country, eventually giving Donald Trump the win, the energy on campus shifted.

This presidential election is the first one that most students on campus were able to vote in and have their voices heard. 

According to data from Tufts’ Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement Circle, there were nearly 41 million Gen Z voters that could help elect a president this year, with eight million eligible to vote for the first time.

As students in their dorms set up their phones, laptops, and TVs to watch as the vote count began, the tension could be felt.

“I’m scared,” said Isabella Pereira ’27. “I just want to see a woman become president.”

Students were closely watching the battleground states, also known as “swing states,” where the population of voters is almost evenly divided politically. These states include Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. 

“The swing states will be the deciding factor,” said Will Hanter.

Early on in the race, Trump picked up Kentucky and Indiana with Kamala Harris winning Vermont and Virginia. 

The race was close and the anticipation began to grow. 

“This has potential to be a very close election,” said Riley Shea.

“I feel like she’s going to win,” said Ella Lund ’27. “A lot of states don’t even have their polls closed yet.”

As it began to get later in the night, around 11 p.m., rooms began to fill with anticipation since students were going to bed and would most likely wake up with the 47th President of the United States. 

The Associated Press eventually called the race: “Former President Donald Trump will return to the White House.”

Overnight, Trump won the key states of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania with a combined 29 electoral votes to clinch the 270 necessary to win the presidency.

For those living on the all-female first floor of Corr Hall, there were mixed feelings of confusion, sadness, and a sense of “heaviness” as the second woman from a major party to run for president lost.