The Hill community has a long tradition of encouraging eligible students to register and vote. As the 2022 Pennsylvania general election approaches, plenty of Hill alumni carried on the habit of voting.

Hill alumni shared their opinions on voting for the mid-term election. University of Pittsburgh sophomore Matthew Benik ’21 thought that American citizens should learn more about local candidates and pay more attention to the mid-term elections.  “I feel like most people only care about the big things like the president and senate election when in reality local government probably affects you more and is more important. So don’t go into it only thinking about federal positions,” Benik said.

At the same time, Cornell University junior Johnny Creciun ’20 discussed his opinion on the importance of voting and shared his advice for Hill students who are eligible to vote. “To the current Hill students, I would say that they should pay attention to what’s going on around them and research the candidates before casting a vote. It’s important to be a well-informed voter who investigated what their representatives are advocating for,” Creciun said.

“It’s also equally as important during this time to find your own opinion despite all the propaganda that exists and groups that try to impose their views on you via guilt and threat of social cancellation,” Creciun added.

Several Hill alumni also talked about the significance of voting to them. “Voting is one of the most important things to do to initiate changes, and you shouldn’t take it for granted,” University of Pittsburgh freshman Kyle Rohrbaugh ’22 said.

“I think voting is everyone’s duty and that it should be taken more seriously. It’s the most meaningful and impactful way we can voice our opinions to our elected representatives.” Dickinson College freshman Grant Deshishku ’22 added.

The voting method is also a hot debate between Hill alumni. Creciun firmly believes in in-person voting, as he thinks that mail-in ballots “leaves opportunity for potential statistical fallacies and miscalculations that lead to an inaccurate representation of voting.” Benik agrees with Creciun and added that he feels more comfortable with his vote knowing that it’s being counted right at the polling place.

However, for Hill alumni going to colleges far from home or in different states, mail-in ballots and absentee ballots provide much more versatility. Penn State University freshman Wesley Connelly ’22 got a mail-in ballot and filled it out last Friday, as he is in college town and couldn’t get back home to vote.

Bucknell University freshman Nicole Moran ’22 had a similar situation. She said, “As a college student I prefer absentee or mail-in ballots. If I went to college in the same state I resided in, I would definitely prefer going to polling places.”

Moran then called on eligible Hill students to vote. “I would encourage every Hill student that is of age to vote. Voting is one of the most important civic duties. Make sure you stay informed about the candidate and their policies. I hope every eligible student registers to vote,” Moran said.

In his conclusion, Creciun advocates for students to vote in order to ensure “a free and truly democratic nation.”