In Wisconsin’s key battleground state, where presidential elections win or lose by only tens of thousands of votes, students like those at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside are highly favored.
But getting young people interested in voting is always a tall order. That job didn’t get any easier after Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate between Senator JD Vance of Ohio and Governor Tim Wallace of Minnesota.
“It’s long, isn’t it?” Parkside Student Government President Grant Pitts said to a room full of students who murmured in agreement.
Debates between vice-presidential candidates are generally low-impact events, though they can deliver a once-in-a-decade moment as memorable as Sarah Palin’s wink to the camera in 2008 or Lloyd Bentson’s takedown of Dan Quayle in 1988.
Tuesday night didn’t provide one of those moments, at least for students at three colleges in Wisconsin and Georgia. Some students, so engrossed in politics, have decided not to watch TV before the debate. Many said they had already decided on a candidate, and that Mr. Vance or Mr. The Walls said there was little they could do to change their minds.
At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, only a few members of the student body showed up for the watch party, which was advertised online and in the school newspaper earlier Tuesday.
“Nobody around here seems to be into politics and made up their minds a long time ago,” said Jade Rahn, a 19-year-old sophomore who will vote in her first presidential election in November. As she watched from the mostly empty student lounge, where snacks sat largely untouched on the table, Ms. Rahn said she was siding with Mr. Trump because she believes he has handled economic issues better.
While she was somewhat receptive to switching candidates, nothing she heard in the debate really moved her. “I am frank,” said Mrs. Rahn took occasional breaks from the debate to finish some homework. “But don’t think anything said during this discussion will change my mind.”
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald J. Young voters are challenging Trump’s campaigns. Many say they are disillusioned with the negativity of American politics and doubt that any candidate can help get the country — and their lives — back on track. They came of age in an era when issues like climate change and mass shootings overwhelmed many of their generation, and the American political establishment seemed unable to do anything to fix them.
Ethan Hightier, a 21-year-old senior at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said he didn’t know about the vice presidential debate until the day before. He came to watch with his classmates, hoping to hear from the candidates instead of relying on the news media, which he believes aren’t telling the whole story.
“It’s hard to take a stand because most of the information is biased on the Internet and in the news,” Mr. Hightire said. “I think it’s better to hear from them directly.”
But even that Mr. to decide with confidence. Hayter may not have enough because, he said, “what they say may not be what they do.”
Macon, Ga. Organizers of a nonpartisan watch party at Mercer University in the U.S. aren’t sure how many people will attend. Three weeks ago, a watch party for the debate between Ms. Harris and Mr. Trump drew about 60 people. The crowd on Tuesday was a little less crowded.
Hannah Griffin, a 20-year-old pre-med student studying biochemistry, said she longed for an election where the vice presidential debate would help decide her vote. But as she watched, Mr. She admits that the volleys between Vance and Mr. Walls will do nothing to distract her in November.
“It’s my hope that at some point in the future, we’ll have better candidates that aren’t Donald Trump, and the incredibly scary, really, the only option for me personally is to vote for Kamala Harris,” Ms. Griffin said.
At Mercer’s student center, some were more focused than others. And Mr. Vance or Mr. Neither Valls elicited much of a reaction from the room. During fall break, many students observed the debate while doing homework or enjoying free snacks.
For young people who have yet to experience a presidential election as full-fledged, voting-age citizens, Tuesday’s debate was something new: Mr. A platform without Trump.
Ryan Rivera, 20, who works at a Target in the Phoenix area, said Mr. How much Trump’s absence changed the dynamic — and almost felt gratifying. “Honestly, it’s refreshing to see two political candidates have genuine respect for each other,” Mx said. Rivera, who uses the pronouns they/them. “We stick to the play. It’s nice not to have that.
While some voters claim to place more weight in the vice presidential debate, it is unlikely to be a significant factor in the minds of many.
Despite streams of history-making news that could elevate any other presidential race, this year’s polls have remained relatively stable. A former president’s first criminal conviction, a late decision by a sitting president not to run for re-election, and Mr. These include two assassination attempts against Trump.
Mr. Wallace seemed to nod at one point to the fact that Americans had other things on their minds when he used his final statement to jokingly thank “those who failed to dance with the stars.”
By the time the candidates gave their closing remarks, there were only two students at the Milwaukee viewing party.
At the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, a small campus in the southeastern corner of the state with 3,200 undergraduates, the student body is more diverse than the state’s overall population. More than 35 percent of students qualify for Pell Grants and nearly half are the first in their families to attend college. Maribel Munoz, 18, a freshman, Mr. on immigration. Vance said she was appalled by her comments, especially when the topic of Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio was brought up.
“I’m the granddaughter of two immigrants,” she said.
But he mr. Not liking Vance, he said the Democratic ticket didn’t seem like a good alternative.
“I don’t know if I’ll vote,” Ms. Munoz said.
Jack Healy and Oralandar Brand-Williams contributed to the report.
