As millions of Americans voted on Tuesday, Nov. 3, HUNewsService.com reporter Blayne Dunn asked students at Howard University to confess one private fear, political doubt or hope for this country’s future.
WASHINGTON — On Election Day, Americans are being asked to make their voices heard by casting their ballot. But what about the private political thoughts, fears, doubts, and opinions they have been keeping to themselves because it might make them sound uninformed, pessimistic or even unpatriotic?
We walked across Howard University’s campus with a microphone and asked students one question: “What is something about this election you haven’t said out loud?”
Keeping the question open-ended, we wanted to hear the thoughts behind their public political positions. Their responses revealed something more complicated than the familiar stories about young Americans being politically disengaged.
One student admitted she had seriously considered not voting because she wondered whether her ballot would make any difference. After conversations with relatives and friends, however, she reconsidered, recognizing voting as a privilege worth exercising even when the outcome seems predetermined.
Another student confessed that she voted despite feeling woefully uninformed about the candidates and issues. She understood voting as a civic responsibility but struggled to understand what, exactly, she was voting for. Others expressed fears about Democratic losses, suspicions about election integrity and frustration with people who complain about politics online but refuse to participate in the electoral process.
One student offered a more hopeful perspective by praising first-time voters for making their voices heard and demonstrating that younger generations are prepared to participate in shaping their future. In an election season dominated by campaign messaging, political predictions and partisan arguments, these conversations offer something different: an opportunity to hear young Americans thinking aloud, sometimes hesitantly, about democracy itself.
Listen below to Blayne Dunn’s audio report to hear what Howard students said out loud on Election Day.
