Students at Boston University said climate change and social issues are among the most important policies, and transparency is the most important quality from candidates for the 2022 midterm elections.
Advik Goel, a senior in Questrom School of Business, said while he will vote for Democrats, he looks for legislation that could be too ambitious.
“Then there’s no real chance of them ever passing, and so if they have a good plan for how to do that, that matters to me a lot,” he said.
Goel also said he believes candidates should take more action regarding climate change, continuing what was started during the last term.
“There was already a good bill passed on climate change earlier in Congress, but I think even more of that would be very good,” Goel said. “We should do everything we can to try and at least not increase our temperature to an unreasonable degree.”
Arielle Walsh, a senior in Questrom, said she is also worried about how politicians will address climate change.
“I think climate change, divesting from fossil fuels and all of that is definitely one of the most important things going on,” Walsh said.
Simone Seiner, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she is paying closest attention to LGBTQ+ and other social and civil issues, as well as Question 1 on the ballot regarding taxes.
“I’m also invested in taxation,” Seiner said. “The thing I’m most paying attention to in this election is Question 1, which would raise taxes on (income) over a million dollars.”
Anne Joseph, a sophomore in CAS, said she has seen democratic Govenor-elect Maura Healey as a leader since she first ran for office.
“Massachusetts needs more progressive leaders, especially with the history of the governors we’ve had,” Joseph said.
Joseph said during the primaries she pays attention to specific policies and researches the candidates, but in the general election it is more about party affiliation.
“At this point, it was kind of like, I’ll vote for the Democratic candidate, as opposed to the Republican candidate,” Joseph said.
Walsh said transparency with goals and progress and being trustworthy are the main characteristics she looks for in candidates.
“Being able to communicate and listen to what the supporters value in terms of policies or in terms of just characteristics that you want to use when you’re campaigning,” Walsh said.
No matter what their opinions are, Seiner said she hopes people value their opinions enough to go out and vote.
“I know the kinds of things that I care about, and I think that that’s enough for my voice to be worth hearing,” Seiner said. “I hope that other people also do that.”
