Though it is not a presidential or midterm election year, on Tuesday, Nov. 4, states across the country will hold elections for a variety of local, district and statewide positions. In Minnesota, the results will determine the mayor and positions on the city council. While many Carleton students who live in Minnesota will vote locally this election cycle, out-of-state students are also engaging with their home communities through absentee voting.
New York City and Minneapolis are the two largest cities holding their mayoral elections this year. In New York City, State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani won the ranked-choice Democratic mayoral primary in June and is now the Democratic nominee. His platform is largely focused on making New York City more affordable and includes plans to freeze rent, make buses free, provide universal child care and raise the minimum wage. The 34-year-old’s rapid rise to fame on social media over the last few months has made him a popular figure, but some have raised concerns regarding his age and political experience.
New York City native Ayla Faitelson ’28 submitted her absentee ballot in mid-Oct. after applying for it in Sept. just after the beginning of the academic year. She took Mamdani’s age into account when choosing who to vote for.
“I think it’s good that he’s young; he’s more in touch because he is closer to my age. I think this is an opportunity to see if something radically different is possible, because he is a socialist, we haven’t really had anyone like him,” Faitelson said. “ I know adults that say it’s just pipe dreams and he will never get it done? But what if he does? What if he even gets one or two things done on his checklist. That would be awesome for the people of New York City.”
Mamdani is running against Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, a talk show host and nonprofit founder, and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who lost to Mamdani in the Democratic primary but is now running as an independent. Like Mamdani, Cuomo and Sliwa have focused on affordability and public safety in their campaigns. Concerns have been raised about Cuomo’s previous controversies as governor — including allegations of sexual harassment and criticism about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic — as well as his relationship with President Donald Trump. Sliwa, meanwhile, has painted himself as an anti-Trump Republican, though he has faced controversy for supporting an expanded police presence in the city.
According to an Oct. 29 New York Times poll Mamdani is in the lead with 43%of the vote, followed by Cuomo with 33% and Sliwa with 14%.
Early voting has already begun for New Jersey and Virginia. In Virginia, Rep. Abigail Spanberger is the Democratic nominee running against Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Seares. Economic policy under the Trump administration is a significant issue in this election: Earle-Seares has supported the Trump-era tariffs and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), while Spanberger has criticized these decisions, noting that DOGE layoffs could negatively affect Virginians who work for federal government offices, according to The Washington Post.
According to a recent poll from Christopher Newport University in an article published by ABC News, Spanberger is currently in the lead with 50% of the vote, and Winsome Earle-Seares is in a close second with 43%.
In New Jersey, Jack Ciattarelli, a former State Representative and the Republican nominee, is running against Mikie Sherrill, a current U.S. Representative and the Democratic nominee. Ciattarelli ran against incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021, but lost in a very close general election. In his second campaign, he has emphasized his stances on the Trump administration, immigration, LGBTQ+ rights and different state programs.
Zoe Magaletta ’29, a New Jersey resident, voted by mail in this election.
“New Jerseyans are choosing between a moderate democrat who is fairly similar to our current governor and a republican nominee who is closely tied to Trump and the MAGA movement. If NJ moves closer to Trumpism, it will offer fewer services, and the ones that remain will be less effective. New Jersey also has a higher immigrant population, so I worry that if a conservative candidate takes office, a lot of communities will be in danger,” Magaletta said. “Even though I’m out of state, I still feel very connected to NJ because I am still going back and most of my family lives there, so I don’t want them to live in a state where political officials put money over their constituents.”
Polls for this election show the candidates nearly tied: a recent Emerson College poll put Sherrill with 49% of the vote and Citarelli with 48%, noting a 3% margin of error.
In Georgia, a special election is being held for Public Service Commission (PSC), a committee that makes important decisions about the funding and administration of different public utilities like water quality, telecommunications and broadband. In Georgia, holding a PSC election is rare on an off-cycle year, and though commissioners are elected to serve a specific district, all Georgians are able to vote for all candidates. In both District 2 and 3, whose commissioners are up for election, a Democrat is facing off against a Republican incumbent. Issues of affordability as well as party control of the state are hot topics in this race. Whether Democrats can flip the seat is a matter of turnout, according to the Macon Melody.
“Young people getting out to vote is how we can change the status quo,” Georgia resident Maggie Kyle ’28 said. “Right now, we have commissioners who have held office for 12 years, and they keep getting voted in by older people because young people aren’t turning out. Even with an influx of new candidates due to term limits, we aren’t going to see any major policy shifts that we very much need unless younger people get more involved in voting.”
The Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE) provides a variety of resources online, in their office complex and through a series of tabling events throughout Sept. and Oct. Student workers are also available for questions from students looking to vote in their home state. Printed handouts inform students of candidates on the ballots in Minneapolis, Virginia, Washington, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Georgia and New York City, while online resources provide information about voter registration, candidate positions, and absentee ballot access.
The CCCE website said that CarlsVote is “dedicated to increasing student voting and political engagement at Carleton.” Turnout for voters aged 18-29 is the lowest of any age group. According to a study from Tufts University, less than half of voters under 30 cast a ballot, and that number is expected to be much lower in 2025 as it is an off-cycle election.
“Even if you are a college student and living a thousand miles from home, you still have family and personal ties there. You are most likely going back for breaks, so you will still be very much impacted by the elected officials there, which is why absentee voting is so important,” Magaletta said. “Voting empowers us to play a role in our political institutions that impact everything, ranging from Carleton’s independence as an institution to the job market when you graduate, so it’s important to make your voice heard when deciding who is running them.”
