FIT Students Cast Votes For President Far Away From Home
Out-Of-State Residents Secure Absentee Ballots For The Nov. 5 Presidential Election
By Rebecca Messner
MANHATTAN, New York—With the presidential election less than a month away, out-of-state students at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York are preparing to make sure that they can cast their ballots as it will be the first time for many to vote for a president. And for some students, it is a rush to the finish.
“I am planning on voting in this election. I had my ballot sent to my home address because I was trying to figure out the process to send it to school and it was just really confusing,” said Carolyn Ramos, 20, a second year Fashion Business Management major at F.I.T. “I had them send it to my home address in California and my parents then sent that to me directly here. Both me and my brother are voting out of state, so they sent it to his apartment. So, I should be getting my ballot this week.”
For out-of-state students like Ramos, who grew up in Texas, it takes planning ahead to not lose the chance to make a difference in the close race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. And they think that it is important to exercise this important right.
“I've kind of seen how it's played out in both states, the whole voting registration process and everything. The thing about Texas is that people assume it is red, but then these major cities like Austin and San Antonio and Dallas, they're very blue,” Ramos said. She added that gerrymandering, the political drawing of voting districts, has made it more difficult for people to register to vote and get to certain voting locations.
“It's so difficult, they just give up and go home, which is not what we want,” Ramos said. On the other hand, she said she witnessed that in California voting polls and registration sites are everywhere at libraries and schools. It makes it even more important for her to make sure that her vote is counted.
“I am obviously planning to vote,” said Natalia Cobos, 21, a third year Advertising and Marketing Communications major at F.I.T. “I think that it's important that you exercise your constitutional right and that you make your voice heard.” But at the same time she has seen a lot of doubt about the process in her peers. Cobos said that classmates have told her they want “to stay away from politics because it brings them down.”
“I do get that it can be a lot of negative information. But I do feel like it's still important because at the end of the day, it's exercising your vote to choose the people who are going to represent you and who are gonna make decisions that are gonna affect your everyday life,” Cobos said. “Most of the conversations I have are just trying to get people involved at least a little bit and making sure they try to keep up with part of it.
For Ramos, the election is about the most important topic in her life, women’s rights.
“Reproductive care is a huge huge topic of concern for me, especially because of the recent overturn of Roe v Wade,” she said. “It's not just abortions and abortion care. It's all types of reproductive care, which is health care. That's very concerning, especially coming from a historically red state of Texas and then moving to California.”
Cobos stressed that it is very important to stay informed with balanced news, especially during election season.
“I think that it's very important to have media literacy. A lot of people lack that scale and they just believe anything they see,” she said. “I definitely feel like getting your news from different sources either right wing news outlets or left wing news outlets or just unbiased. Every kind of perspective is important to form your own perspective.”
Cobos also finds this essential for her FIT peers.
“I think that they should stay informed because a lot of people take for granted those elections,” she said.
Ramos also makes an extra effort to spread information to her friends.
“Social media plays a huge role, especially in our generation. I'm always watching people's Instagram stories,” she said. “I personally post things on my Instagram story too to spread the word.”
When it was the last day to register to vote in Texas on Oct. 7, she posted about it on Instagram to create more awareness and help her peers meet the deadline to secure their voting right.
Out-Of-State Residents Secure Absentee Ballots For The Nov. 5 Presidential Election
By Rebecca Messner
MANHATTAN, New York—With the presidential election less than a month away, out-of-state students at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York are preparing to make sure that they can cast their ballots as it will be the first time for many to vote for a president. And for some students, it is a rush to the finish.
“I am planning on voting in this election. I had my ballot sent to my home address because I was trying to figure out the process to send it to school and it was just really confusing,” said Carolyn Ramos, 20, a second year Fashion Business Management major at F.I.T. “I had them send it to my home address in California and my parents then sent that to me directly here. Both me and my brother are voting out of state, so they sent it to his apartment. So, I should be getting my ballot this week.”
For out-of-state students like Ramos, who grew up in Texas, it takes planning ahead to not lose the chance to make a difference in the close race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. And they think that it is important to exercise this important right.
“I've kind of seen how it's played out in both states, the whole voting registration process and everything. The thing about Texas is that people assume it is red, but then these major cities like Austin and San Antonio and Dallas, they're very blue,” Ramos said. She added that gerrymandering, the political drawing of voting districts, has made it more difficult for people to register to vote and get to certain voting locations.
“It's so difficult, they just give up and go home, which is not what we want,” Ramos said. On the other hand, she said she witnessed that in California voting polls and registration sites are everywhere at libraries and schools. It makes it even more important for her to make sure that her vote is counted.
“I am obviously planning to vote,” said Natalia Cobos, 21, a third year Advertising and Marketing Communications major at F.I.T. “I think that it's important that you exercise your constitutional right and that you make your voice heard.” But at the same time she has seen a lot of doubt about the process in her peers. Cobos said that classmates have told her they want “to stay away from politics because it brings them down.”
“I do get that it can be a lot of negative information. But I do feel like it's still important because at the end of the day, it's exercising your vote to choose the people who are going to represent you and who are gonna make decisions that are gonna affect your everyday life,” Cobos said. “Most of the conversations I have are just trying to get people involved at least a little bit and making sure they try to keep up with part of it.
For Ramos, the election is about the most important topic in her life, women’s rights.
“Reproductive care is a huge huge topic of concern for me, especially because of the recent overturn of Roe v Wade,” she said. “It's not just abortions and abortion care. It's all types of reproductive care, which is health care. That's very concerning, especially coming from a historically red state of Texas and then moving to California.”
Cobos stressed that it is very important to stay informed with balanced news, especially during election season.
“I think that it's very important to have media literacy. A lot of people lack that scale and they just believe anything they see,” she said. “I definitely feel like getting your news from different sources either right wing news outlets or left wing news outlets or just unbiased. Every kind of perspective is important to form your own perspective.”
Cobos also finds this essential for her FIT peers.
“I think that they should stay informed because a lot of people take for granted those elections,” she said.
Ramos also makes an extra effort to spread information to her friends.
“Social media plays a huge role, especially in our generation. I'm always watching people's Instagram stories,” she said. “I personally post things on my Instagram story too to spread the word.”
When it was the last day to register to vote in Texas on Oct. 7, she posted about it on Instagram to create more awareness and help her peers meet the deadline to secure their voting right.
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