The Presidential Election of 2020, held on Nov. 3, was an opportunity for Commerce’s eligible college students to exercise their right to vote, and many of them have specific thoughts on its importance.

To gauge how students see the vote, some on-campus residents were asked how important they believed it is and what the upcoming election means to them.

“It’s extremely important,” Nathan Weipert, freshman, said. “Not voting is simply the worst choice you have, it keeps you from making the meaningful changes you want to make.

“The 2020 election is so important to make sure we can undo the damage from the last election and make sure we are able to make the societal changes in order to secure the rights people desperately need,” Weipert said.

Kynan Desquare, freshman, described the election as a “deciding factor in how the nation recovers,” adding, “We need to make the right choice in order to prevent the U.S. from reaching an even worse place than it already is.”

Eva Cuzdey, sophomore, described the right to vote, in terms of getting younger voters to register, as a matter of high importance.

“I think voting is extremely important for the younger generations because it keeps political ideas and beliefs current,” Cuzdey said. “It allows for shifts in power that reflect the views of the whole nation, rather than just a portion of it.”

“The 2020 election is the first presidential election where I can vote, and I feel like there is a lot of pressure on this one,” Cuzdey added. “As a woman, I feel like my rights are in danger, and I feel like the rights of my friends are in danger if [Donald Trump] wins. It’s a very scary situation, especially considering what he has said and he acted in the debate. I just hope enough people vote for Biden so [Trump] doesn’t get re-elected.”