William Karr will be able to vote in a presidential election for the first time in November.
On Thursday, the 18-year-old joined several other first-time and future voters on Northwestern University’s campus in Evanston to watch the debate between President Joe Biden and presumptive Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump.
“Voting is one of the most important things that happens when you’re 18, and I’m really looking forward to having a chance to provide my say into the direction of the country,” he said.
Over 80 high school students from around the country gathered at the McCormick Foundation Center, 1870 Campus Drive, to watch the debate. The students are part of the Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute, also known as the “Medill Cherubs.”
The four-week summer journalism program provides real-world j experience to students.
Karr, of Wilmette, said he is already familiar with the candidates’ platforms, so the debate won’t sway his vote either way.
“It’s sort of going how I sort of expected,” Karr said about 20 minutes into the debate. “So it’s not going to have an effect on how I would vote.”
Josie Belfer, 17, won’t be old enough to vote in this year’s election, but still thought it was important to watch. She was surprised that this debate didn’t have as much shouting as others, and thought that President Biden didn’t have a strong start.
“I think it seems a lot more civil than previous debates I’ve seen, but I do think that Biden isn’t coming off the best because he’s been mistaking some of his words,” said Belfer, of the Bay Area in California.
Belfer and the other students listened intently, clapping when one candidate made a point they agreed with. Loud claps broke out when Biden turned to Trump and told him “you’re the loser” during the discussion of military veterans.
Carter Nishi, 17, said he appreciated the format of the debate — which featured no studio audience and muted microphones to discourage interruptions — but pointed out that the candidates still frequently veered off topic. He also thought Biden had a tough few minutes at the beginning of the debate.
While he won’t be able to vote in November, Nishi, who also lives in the Bay Area of California, said debates help voters hear directly from candidates and listen to two sides of an issue.
“It’s one of the times when people can actually see what the candidates are saying without reading from a script or anything,” he said. “It’s interesting to see both sides of what they are talking about, and how they talk about it.”