On Tuesday, November 5th, millions of Americans will participate in a historical election but for several Wauwatosa West Seniors the election has a deeper meaning. It will be their first time voting.

Wauwatosa West students had a variety of reasons for voting which reflected the larger trends in the public. Some students pointed to the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Israel. Others had economic reasons or more personal reasons.

Senior Kennadi Ross said the experience of her grandmother inspired her choice.

“Healthcare affects my grandmother a lot, so I want to vote to help her get better care.” said Ross

Senior Peter Nuegent said “One of the biggest issues motivating me to vote is women’s rights. But there’s a lot of other issues that are very important like immigration laws and guns.”

Parents provided inspiration and encouragement for voting.

“My dad told me to vote so I can use my voice for something positive,” said Senior Chuck Steward.

Students reported having longer conversations with their parents about the issues on a regular basis.

Senior Peter Nuegent said, “ I have talked to my family about the issues, about the referendums as well, and we talked about voting over family dinners.”

Students researched the candidates to determine their choices. Some use social media and others use the internet.

“Social media played a big part because I would hear about the candidates more by scrolling through instagram, ” said Ross.

Other students found the ads to be a distraction to their focus on researching the issues.

“I don’t think it really affected me voting, but there are ads everywhere, and you know, you’re getting constant ads, but I always knew I was gonna vote, and I did a lot of research on with news and things like that, not necessarily social media, because they post, sometimes they post fake stuff.”

No matter what the issue or reason for voting students recognize the importance of voting.

“Absolutely. Every vote matters. It’s really important to make a difference in the community, to vote and to make a difference in the country.” said Neugent