As the Nov. 5 presidential election nears, an anonymous Record survey found that an overwhelming majority of Ephs will vote for Vice President Kamala Harris — though only 10 percent of respondents live in the seven key swing states that will likely tip the Electoral College. This will be most students’ first time casting a ballot in a presidential election.

The survey, sent to all students at the College, asked questions about students’ voting intentions, political ideologies, and general perspectives on the state of American politics. Of the 2,345 individuals surveyed, 801  — or 34.2 percent — responded.

Seven hundred and eighteen respondents said they were registered to vote in the United States. Fifty-nine students — or 7.4 percent of respondents — said they were not registered because they are not U.S. citizens, roughly reflecting the 8 percent of the total student body who are international students. 

Of registered voters, 82.5 percent — or 593 students — said they plan to cast their ballot for Harris, 9 percent — or 65 students — said they plan to vote for Trump, and 3 percent said they were voting for a third-party candidate. Another 3 percent plan to abstain from the presidential vote, and the remaining 2 percent were undecided on how to vote.

Just 10 percent of registered respondents are casting their ballot in one of seven swing states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Of these swing state respondents, 81 percent said they intend to vote for Harris, a figure similar to the percentage of the total pool who supports Harris. 

Chloё Braum-Bharti ’27, a Pennsylvania voter who cast her ballot for the Harris-Walz ticket, cited access to healthcare and education as priority issues, noting that she believes Harris and Gov. Tim Walz are committed to equity in these areas. Braum-Bharti specifically highlighted Walz’s universal breakfast program in Minnesota. 

Braum-Bharti said she views her vote as a chance to protect the rights of others. “I think my vote speaks more for the people whose lives are in the hands of the government,” she said. “I know that at some point, some part of my life could be in the hands of the government, like when I have to start paying for my own healthcare or maybe don’t have the same opportunities due to my identity.”

Among registered respondents, 91.6 percent of female-identifying students and 71.5 percent of male-identifying students indicated they plan to vote for Harris. Of the same pool, 3.5 percent of female-identifying respondents and 15.4 percent of male-identifying respondents said they intend to vote for Trump.

National coverage has dubbed this year’s presidential race a “gender election,” reflecting sharp differences in the gender balance between Trump and Harris voters across the nation. Among registered respondents at the College, 56.8 percent of Harris supporters identify as female and 36.7 percent as male. Meanwhile, 20 percent of Trump supporters identify as female and 72.3 percent identify as male. 

Harris garners majority support among all racial categories surveyed at the College.

Of total registered respondents who plan to vote for Harris, 66.4 percent identify as white, with the next largest portion of her supporters identifying as mixed-race at 12.5 percent. Among registered respondents who support Trump, 67.6 percent are white and 10.7 percent are Asian.

When asked about political ideology, 40.8 percent of respondents registered to vote identified as “very left-leaning,” followed by 36.4 percent of respondents who say they are “somewhat left-leaning.” Only 2.3 percent of respondents identified as “very right-leaning.” Students who identify as female were twice as likely to say they are “very left-leaning” compared to those who identify as male. Students who said they are “somewhat left-leaning,” though, are less divided by gender, with 52.6 percent identifying as female and 43.5 percent as male.

A vast majority of respondents registered to vote said they believe the country is moving in the “wrong direction”: Just 10.2 percent of respondents indicated that they believe America is on the right track. Male respondents were more than twice as likely as female respondents to say the country is moving in the right direction. 

Josh Bruns ’25, who is from Senegal and registered to vote in Williamstown, Mass., shared that he is voting for Harris in the election despite feeling that his presidential vote is insignificant in a consistently blue state. 

Bruns said that he believes the “purple bubble” can distance students from issues affecting many Americans in this election cycle. “When you go to use your meal swipe, you aren’t necessarily thinking about inflationary pressures and stuff like that,” he said. “But I think it’s really important to realize that a lot of people are hurting economically, and that’s a really valid thing.” 

While Bruns expressed frustrations with the Biden administration’s lack of “radical changes” that would appeal to large swaths of the youth vote, he emphasized the stakes of another Trump presidency. “His rhetoric — calling people he disagrees with enemies of the state — is very scary,” he said. 

In Senegal, Bruns said, “There have been points when the judicial system has been weaponized against opponents of the ruling party, so it is really scary to see Trump say he is going to use state tools like the military against his opponents.” 

Overall, 66.7 percent of registered respondents believe Harris will win the presidential election. Among those planning to vote for Harris, 74 percent believe she’ll win, while 17 percent of Trump supporters agree. 81.5 percent of respondents voting for Trump and 26 percent of respondents voting for Harris think Trump will win the election, suggesting that Trump supporters are more optimistic that their candidate will triumph.

Dash Alschuler-Pierce ’28 said he felt like few students are discussing the election at the College, to his surprise. 

“Everyone here is from New York, Massachusetts, or California, so there’s been an overall malaise because elections don’t actually represent the people,” he said. “There’s one kid in my entry who is from North Carolina, and she is the talk of the town because she is the only one who might have some form of a voice.”