As Election Day rolled around to Idaho, students walked, biked or bused to their polling location, chasing a sense of civic duty and a desire for change.
For many University of Idaho students, the March 10 presidential primary was their first experience with voting.
This is the case for Katie Blomgren, a UI freshman who said the election was her first time participating in the polls.
“I know the primaries aren’t that big, but it felt exciting to vote,” said Blomgren. “I want things to be different.”
Another UI freshman, Siara Prpich, said she feels like it’s her responsibility to help create a better future.
Angela Palmero | Argonaut
These young voters lined up inside the Latah County Fairgrounds polling place, waiting to cast their ballots. In the evening, many were waiting in lines significantly longer than those of precincts comprised of older voters, but that didn’t discourage them.
ICYM: Here’s how Latah County voted in the 2020 Presidential Primary
Evan Jones, a UI graduate student, said this election marks his second-time voting.
Jones, who grew up in Minnesota, said he came out to vote because he felt it was his civic duty.
“Voter turnout was always a big thing (in Minnesota), so I wanted to continue that here,” Jones said.
Korynn Weitz, a UI freshman studying conservation biology, said she voted because climate change is an important issue to her.
“I want to elect somebody who will protect the environment because they actually want to, not just somebody who wants to do it for more votes,” Weitz said.
Other citizens said they came out to show support for a certain candidate.
UI alumnus, Bret Barker, said Bernie Sanders was the main reason he decided to vote in the primary.
“I absolutely love (Sanders) and I feel like we got cheated last time, so hopefully that doesn’t happen again,” Barker said.
Angela Palermo can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @apalermo7