When I walked into the Mullen Center on Election Day, I was excited. I’d been following the races and talking with friends about the candidates and was ready to cast my ballot. But when I handed over my ID, the poll worker told me I was the 66th person to vote. It was already 2 p.m.
It was hard not to feel a little disappointed at the lack of voter turnout. But, as the results rolled in that night, that disappointment quickly turned into something else: hope.
Voters across Pennsylvania and the country chose progress. In Delaware County, Democrats swept local races. Statewide, all of the Democratic judges on the ballot were retained, results that carry major weight for the years ahead. And in states like Texas or Mississippi, voters across party lines turned out to protect rights and reject extremism. For the first time in a while, election night felt like a step forward.
For Villanova students, those results are incredibly important. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court, for example, plays a major role in protecting access to abortion, defending voting rights and shaping laws that affect everything from education funding to environmental regulation. Keeping a court committed to those protections means stability for students and graduates alike.
“These statewide elections are incredibly important,” Maggie Parham, a senior student, said. “The fact that all Democratic Supreme Court justices retained their seats has a major impact on protecting abortion access in Pennsylvania, especially in such a polarized and confusing time.”
Parham’s words capture what many students felt watching the results come in: relief that key rights and protections remain intact, and a reminder that local and state elections are just as consequential as federal ones.
When we talk about government, we often think big. It’s likely that one would picture institutions like Congress, the White House and the next presidential race. But the truth is, it’s these smaller, often-overlooked elections that most directly affect our lives. Who funds public universities? Who regulates internships and labor standards? Who decides how accessible polling places are for students? The people elected this month will shape those answers long before the next presidential election.
And while turnout among voters could have been stronger, Gen Z’s influence was impossible to ignore. Across the country, young people helped decide races that once seemed unwinnable. In New York City, voters elected Zohran Mamdani, a young progressive who ran on a message of representation and affordability. In red and swing states, voters pushed back against polarization and showed that change doesn’t belong to one region or one party.
That’s something to celebrate. Of course, not everyone felt that way. Some voters were disappointed or frustrated by the results. But that’s part of what makes elections powerful: every outcome reflects who showed up. Democracy doesn’t work because we all agree; it works because we all participate.
And that’s where Villanova students come in. Every ballot cast by a Villanovan, whether here in Pennsylvania, in New Jersey, in New York or somewhere else they call home, feeds into that larger story. College students are often underestimated as voters, but this year showed that when young people engage, their collective voice can shape the map.
Still, the work doesn’t stop when the polls close. The same passion that drives students to serve, volunteer and advocate needs to carry over into every election, not just the big ones. After all, the policies that affect our rights, our education, and our opportunities are decided at every level of government, every year.
As Villanova students, we talk often about community, service and using talents for good. Voting is one of the most tangible ways to live those values. The wins this November show what’s possible when we do.
This election was a reminder to all of us that democracy still works when we are willing to show up for it. The courts that protect our rights remain intact. The voices of young voters are being heard. And the path ahead, while still challenging, looks a little brighter.
Change doesn’t come from waiting for someone else to care. It comes from caring enough to act. And that’s something every Villanovan can believe in.
