By james art 
Florida State University saw a record voter turnout, while Florida A&M University also had high numbers as students voted before Nov. 5.
The increase in voter turnout comes as Florida amendments of major concern among college students — access to abortion and recreational marijuana — are at the forefront of the 2024 ballot. during a heated US presidential race.
Compared to early voter turnout in 2020. of 8,744 after a two-week early voting period, FSU’s early voting location in the Student Union Building on campus had a total of 9,839 as of Friday afternoon, 12 days after the early voting period began.
At FAMU’s polling place in its Efferson Student Union, the early voting total was 2,141 Friday afternoon, compared to 2,223 at this point in 2020, making it less than 100 voters short as the period of early voting expires.
In this year’s election, Vice President Kamala Harris — a black woman and Democratic presidential candidate — is running with Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz against former Republican President Donald Trump and his vice presidential pick, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, for the White House in time of the 2024 US presidential election.
Local elections are also underway and include races for Tallahassee and County Commissioners, State Senate and House, Superintendent of Schools and County Judge.
In addition, Florida has six amendments on the ballot – partisan school races, the right to hunt and fish, recreational marijuana, access to abortion, property taxes and the repeal of public campaign financing.
But for many students at FSU and FAMU, the stakes are high when it comes to Recreational Marijuana Amendment 3, which could amend Florida’s constitution to allow recreational marijuana use.
Amendment 4 regarding access to abortion is also a major concern for students. It would repeal Florida’s current law banning most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, returning the state to where it was in the 1949s when Roe v. Wade was national law, allowing most abortions until “fetal viability,” or about 24 years. weeks.
Elected members of FSU’s Student Senate recently passed a resolution urging students to vote in favor of Amendment 4 before Tuesday’s vote, and USF’s student government followed suit at an Oct. 29 meeting.
As students continue to vote in the last few days of this election cycle, here’s how some of them voted.
FAMU Student Voters: ‘Fresh Face with New Ideas’
FAMU freshman and Tampa native Simone Williamson, a pharmacy student, says she voted for Harris. She is one of many HBCU (Historically Black College or University) students supporting the current vice president during this year’s race.
“I voted for Kamala because she aligns with my ideals more than Donald Trump,” Williamson said. “As African-Americans attending HBCUs, she can better represent us.”
Williamson says she’s excited about the prospect of the nation having “a fresh face with new ideas” at the helm if Harris becomes president.
Also, Harris’ approach of having celebrities speak at her rallies to attract young voters — where celebrities such as singers Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez have recently given speeches in support of her campaign — has not gone unnoticed.
“If we have celebrities that we all like voting for Kamala and supporting her, that speaks volumes,” Williamson said. “That says we should go and vote for Kamala too.”
On the Florida amendment, Williamson says the abortion access vote was her main concern.
“I don’t think the government should control this,” Williamson said. “As women, we should be able to choose whether we want to have an abortion or not.”
She also voted yes on the marijuana amendment.
“I feel like so many people still smoke (marijuana) because it’s already popular, so it’s better to just legalize it,” she said. “People have to be 21 or older to drink alcohol, so it makes sense to have a similar requirement for marijuana.”
Williamson’s other votes included voting against Amendment 2 — the right to hunt and fish — when issues like overfishing were taken into account, and she also voted against Amendment 1 on partisan school board races because she believed it was important to candidates are considered for who they are instead of their political affiliations.
Kailyn Hudson — a first-year health sciences student from Broward County — hasn’t voted yet, but has decided to vote for Harris.
“She stands up for the one thing I believe in the most, which is reproductive rights and women’s health,” Hudson said. “She’s always been an advocate for women’s rights and I think she would be really good in office.”
“She would also be the first female president, which would be monumental,” Hudson added.
She plans to vote in favor of Amendment 4, which she says is something that will help make abortion “less of a government issue” to leave the choice to the people.
Hudson also intends to vote in favor of legalizing marijuana.
“Honestly, I thought marijuana was already legal in Florida, but I guess it’s not,” Hudson said. “It’s something people have already done, so I don’t see why it’s a problem.”
Although Hudson has made up her mind on the issues she cares about most, she says she will do more research on amendments she is unfamiliar with — such as the amendment regarding partisan school board races — before voting.
FSU student voters: mixed support for candidates but similar views on amendments
While FAMU students have demonstrated overwhelming support for Harris and her campaign, a mix of student support for Harris and Trump is being found on the FSU campus.
But many of the college students who voted for Trump were less open to expressing the reason for their decision than Harris’ college-age voters.
A 19-year-old FSU student — who did not want to be identified because of the controversial race — said she voted for Trump because “I just think he’s a better candidate than Kamala.”
Another FSU student — a 20-year-old junior — said she voted for Trump even though she holds views that are not as conservative as most people associated with the Republican Party.
“Even though I voted for Trump, I would say I’m a liberal Republican, so I still voted for women’s rights and the legalization of marijuana,” the student said.
Although many students are primarily concerned with Florida’s amendments and presidential candidates, students like FSU sophomore and political science major Ethan Bischoff are also interested in local elections in Tallahassee.
As a registered Democrat, he has voted for all Democratic candidates because of what he says are his “biggest values” in local and state elections — LGBTQ rights, reproductive rights and education.
“I’ve been supporting Kamala since before Biden dropped out, and I was very happy to see her enter the race,” said Bischoff, a 19-year-old Tallahassee native and first-time voter. “While I love the domestic politics of the Democratic Party, I am not a fan of its foreign policy. But I think overall she’s the most well-rounded candidate on issues like workers’ rights and reproductive rights.
“I don’t think the Trump campaign can get any worse than it already is,” he added. “After the rally in Madison Square Garden, I was genuinely horrified.”
Bischoff referenced the former president’s event at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, where comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a “floating island of trash.” The offensive comment caught the community’s sizeable Puerto Rican population.
“Trump just doesn’t check anything for me,” Bischoff said.
As this year’s election marks a milestone for many other first-time student voters, some are relying on their backgrounds — and their parents — for guidance.
“I come from a very strong conservative town,” said the FSU student and Trump supporter from Ohio. “It’s my first time voting and I haven’t done much research on my own, so I’m trusting my parents on this one.”
Contact Tarah Jean at [email protected] or follow her at X: @tarahjean_.