Harwood Union High School in Duxbury. Photo by Harmony Belle Devoe

Harmony Belle Devoe, a 10th grader at Harwood Union High School, is working with the Underground Workshop, a network of student journalists partnering with Community News Service.

On Sept. 10, the nation and world witnessed a conversation between presidential candidates Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. 67.1 million people viewed the debate, informing the choices they will make on Nov. 5, but youth under the voting age paid attention too. 

Harwood Union High School 11th grader Cashel Higgins felt confident in Harris’ probability of winning after watching the presidential debate.

“Sometimes [Harris] got sucked into Trump’s angry nonsense but was able to pull out of it and reiterate her goals and work on connection with her voters,” he said. “[Trump] is not fit to be president; he’s a criminal and is full of hate,” Higgins added.

Harwood 10th grader Zypporah Mitchell felt similarly.

“[Harris] got a little goofy, but he [Trump] went off topic and that was really embarrassing for him. Trump lost all aura points at that debate,” she said. If Mitchell could vote this November, she would vote for Harris.

“I’d vote for a toddler, a squirrel, or an inanimate object over Trump,” she said. 

Social media is another platform that people, especially students, receive their news from. Harwood 10th grader Arianna DeForge believes Harris had a successful debate. 

“I just watch TikToks of her though,” she said. 

Family members also shape students’ perspectives, as Harwood 10th grader Yuma Cormier shared. Cormier feels that anything he says about politics is repeating his parents’ strong anti-Trump perspectives.

“I think it’s important to not be biased,” he said. “My dad is always hating on Trump, but I feel like it’s important to listen to everyone.”

Cormier’s brother is a Trump supporter, but his sisters and parents are not, which can “feel weird and separating” for Cormier and his family. 

While many Americans are confident in the success of either Harris or Trump, some feel that it would be more beneficial for the country to have different presidential candidates, including Harwood 10th grader Patrick Flaherty.

 “I think we need new candidates because Trump is insensitive and doesn’t know what he’s talking about, and Harris isn’t good for the economy,” he said. 

Harwood 10th grader Tyler Martin wishes there were different candidates as well. 

“[Trump] made some dumb comments, but I’d rather have him as a president. I feel like when he was president, we didn’t have anything crazy going on,” he said. “We didn’t have the war in Ukraine. Biden and Harris pulled out of Afghanistan and a lot of people died and military equipment was lost.” 

Although Martin would vote for Trump in this election, he wishes Kanye West was a candidate this year. 

Harwood 12th grader Elsie Pawul plans on voting this November.

“It is my first year as a voter and I want my voice to be heard,” she said. Pawul plans on voting for Harris.

“She respects people and their right to their own bodies while also understanding others’ points of view. She is truly thinking of everyone and trying to make the United States the best it can be,” she said. 

Pawul feels stressed about the weight of the election. “Sometimes I feel as though my vote won’t affect the way the election will turn out,” she said. 

Despite her fears, she believes in the importance of young voters.

“It’s important to hear young people’s voices,” she said, “as they’re the ones growing up into the world and the way it will be.”