First-Time Voters Share Their Experience
See what your classmates said about their first time voting!
A eisel at the voting precinct in Byfield displaying all of the information on the election. (Fish Picture)
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For the first time, many students voted during the recent midterm elections. They voted on three or four questions (if in Newbury), and a multitude of positions for the state.
Voting can be intimidating to people going in for their first time; they may see the lengthy descriptions for the questions, as well as the large number of candidates that are running for the positions in the government. If a voter is unprepared going in, they may have trouble deciding which way to vote, and what to say to all the questions.
I was not the only one voting for the first time who was or is enrolled at Triton who voted for the first time, and people had varying opinions of their first time.
Due to the fact that many companies pay for advertisements for their candidates or their opinions on the questions, it is hard to not know what at least one of the questions is.
“I felt prepared when I went in,” said Brittney Nalesnik of Salisbury Massachusetts, 18, who voted for the first time on Tuesday. “I read the questions beforehand and knew what I was saying on the questions when I went to answer them. I also knew who I was voting for the government positions.”
Nalesnik did research ahead of time so she knew what she was voting on, and who she wanted to vote for based off of where they stood on political issues. However, some people did not.
“Hah! No! I had no idea who I was voting for when I went into the booth,” said Joshua Quintiliani, 18, of Newbury. “Mr. Coyle prepared me for the questions I would be answering, but I did not know who I was gonna vote for in the political positions.”
Quintiliani said he felt nervous, “I was the only one in there under 60-years-old! I felt like I was the center of attention.” He felt good after voting though, and was satisfied with who or what he casted his vote for.
“Of course I would’ve made sure I totally understood what/who I was voting for, that’s the reason I did not vote,” stated Quentin Callewaert, 18, of Byfield. Callewaert chose not to vote since he said he felt uninformed of the questions and the people that he would have been voting for.
With their first election in the rear view, students look towards the presidential election of 2020, wondering if their vote really had an impact on the polls and who got elected into office. In 2020, there will be a much larger number of younger people voting for their first time, and that could seriously change the outcome of the election had that generation not been able to vote.
My name is Michael Fish, a senior at Triton High School and a staff writer for the Triton Voice. I am interested in writing about stories that will help...
