WESTERVILLE, Ohio — As they prepare to vote in their first presidential election, some Ohio college students are paying close attention to the race for the White House. That includes watching the first debate between Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Former President Donald Trump.

What You Need To Know

  • Students at Otterbein University held a watch party for Tuesday's presidential candidate debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Trump

  • The event was organized by a nonpartisan student organization called Raise Your Voice, which works to encourage students to register to vote and become involved in the political process

  • Some students wanted to hear more about how their future will be impacted and policy plans

Tuesday’s debate was must-see TV for Otterbein University students who attended a watch party for the event.

Some, like Joey Durham, took the candidates’ comments seriously.

“I think the people who are running for office right now are people who, in 30 years will not still be here,” she said. “But I will, and I think that it's important to vote for somebody who isn't running based off of their party, but on the people. And I think both of them say that they are. I think that that's something that they both need to look at again.”

Paul Scott also remained reserved during the debate, but said he’s viewing it in a different way.

“I don’t think we should take this seriously,” he said. “It’s just good fun.”

He said he enjoyed having the chance to share the experience with others and see other students’ reactions to different comments made by the presidential hopefuls.

“I think Kamala has done a great job,” Scott said. “I think she’s addressed things that she has actually planned out.”

Scott said both candidates did a better job of tackling topics he said were ignored during the June debate between Trump and President Joe Biden. Biden stepped out of the race in July.

The economy is something Scott said he’s keeping in mind when he casts his ballot.

“I’m young,” he said. “I’m trying to move into an apartment soon and go into the world very soon, so that’s a big issue for me.”

Noah Olsen agreed about the importance of the economy. He said that’s why he’s leaning toward Trump.

“I dislike his temper generally, but I agree with all of his economic policies,” he said.

But he thought the level of information presented by the candidates was minimal compared to the focus both sides put toward playing on people’s emotions and “bickering.”

“Doing too much name calling on both sides, in different ways,” he said. “I wish that it focused more on policy than just running circular arguments the whole time.”

There are some specific issues Durham wanted to hear more about, including the Israel Hamas War, abortion and gun control.

“I think it’s something that we all have a misconception idea of, because nobody actually talks about it,” she said. “They just talk around it or they talk at each other instead of with each other.”

The watch party was hosted by the nonpartisan organization Raise Your Voice that works to encourage students to vote and become involved in the political process. Fueled by free pizza and pizookies donated by BJ’s Restaurant, the political party provided the young voters a chance to learn more about the candidates to make more informed decisions on Election Day.

While certain statements candidates made during the debate got a rise out of some attendees, event organizer Abby Vitali said she’s excited about the level of participation and fellow students’ interest in becoming educated voters.

“Having a great amount of people come out and being friendly and respectful, despite any political viewpoint differences, that was really meaningful to watch,” she said. “And I think it really says a lot about our community.“