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472 Vine St. is a popular polling location for Lehigh students. The estimated wait time in line was around 40 minutes in the morning and around 2 minutes later in the afternoon. (Max Randall\/B&W Staff)<\/p>\nAs voters across Pennsylvania headed to the polls for the 2026 midterm elections, Lehigh students cast their ballots based on concerns including the cost of living, government transparency and gun safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For some students, voting was a civic responsibility. For others, it was an opportunity to make their voices heard in Northampton County, a politically competitive area in one of the nation\u2019s most closely watched swing states.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Brown and White spoke with Lehigh students at 472 Vine St., a popular polling location for Lehigh students.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Q: What motivated you to vote in this election?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Charlie Littman, \u201828: I think everyone should vote. I want to make sure I\u2019m getting out there and making sure my vote counts. And yeah, it\u2019s kind of an obligation. I feel like everyone should go.<\/p>\n
Cullen Mangan, \u201828: Obviously it\u2019s an important election, and also I\u2019m going to grad school, so I need funding for that through (National Institutes of Health).<\/p>\n
Chloe Berger, \u201828: I just feel like it\u2019s very important to be civically engaged. I\u2019m a person who cares a lot about politics, but I feel like I would have no right to complain if I don\u2019t actually step up and take the platform that I have to make a difference.<\/p>\n
Riley Altman, \u201829: I think especially in these swing states and swing counties, every single vote matters. I think if everybody has the belief that, \u2018oh, I\u2019m just one vote, that doesn\u2019t really matter,\u2019 no changes will be made.<\/p>\n
Susannah Abell, \u201829: It\u2019s a scary time right now, and I\u2019m from New York, which usually goes one way. So moving to Pennsylvania, it seems like I can make more of a difference, but there\u2019s more of a swing here, obviously so that was exciting for me.<\/p>\n
Q: What issues were most important to you?<\/p>\n
Charlie Littman, \u201828: \u201cI would say cost of living; that\u2019s probably one of the bigger issues right now. So I\u2019d say focusing on that, especially since a lot of us are going to be entering the workforce soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chloe Berger, \u201828: I definitely feel very strongly against (anti gun-reform) candidates and stuff like that, especially being at a university and just the way the world is going today. So I feel like that platform is really big for me when I was trying to choose my candidates.<\/p>\n
Q: How was your voting experience compared to the 2024 election?<\/p>\n
Littman said he waited approximately 30 minutes to vote in this election. He said he expected shorter lines than those seen at the Banana Factory during the 2024 presidential election, which drew national attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Q: Why do you think it\u2019s important to vote?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cullen Mangan, \u201828: Just to make your voice heard. It\u2019s obviously one of the only places that you can really do that and fully represent yourself. So I think it\u2019s definitely important.<\/p>\n
Chloe Berger, \u201828: \u201cI saw a statistic yesterday. I think it was two-thirds of eligible voters don\u2019t even vote. All those people combined, really could have made an impact. If everyone\u2019s like, oh, it doesn\u2019t matter,\u2019 then nothing\u2019s going to change. You have to step up.\u201d<\/p>\n
472 Vine St. is a popular polling location for Lehigh students. The estimated wait time in line was around 40 minutes in the morning and around 2 minutes later in the afternoon. (Max Randall\/B&W Staff)<\/p>\n
Support from CSO<\/p>\n
Lehigh\u2019s Community Service Office<\/a> was outside this voting location for most of the day supporting voters.<\/p>\n