It is a well-known fact that the 2020 Presidential Election in the United States resembled no other in the history of the country. In particular, having to choose between Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joseph (Joe) Biden gravely polarized the U.S. and gave rise to a variety of political, social, and racial tensions. This story will look at the Washington and Lee University students’ voting patterns in the 2020 Election. Even though it probably isn’t entirely representative of the sentiments present in all of the United States, looking at why college students voted the way they did might potentially reveal some voting trends and reasoning that speak to the general context of the 2020 election. According to the survey used for the purposes of this story, 60% of Washington and Lee students voted for Democrat candidate Joe Biden. Let’s dig into why that was the case.
The data used to back this story comes from a survey sent out to all undergraduate students at Washington and Lee University, which generated about 200 responses. The survey looked at students’ political identities, voting behavior, how they learn about politics, and their opinions about a wide range of political issues on a local and national level. Here we’ll focus specifically on how students voted in the last election and why they voted the way they did. But first – a bit more about the survey and the data set. The survey was designed in a Sociology and Anthropology class at Washington and Lee which specializes in survey research and design. Dr. Krzysztof Jasiewicz, the professor supervising the class, refused to comment on the survey’s specific findings, however he did comment on the changing currents and dynamics within the student body and admitted that this could have affected the results.
“The student body has changed a lot, in terms of social composition and in terms of political preferences,” he said in an interview. “Each time I conduct this project it’s very different.”
Dr. Jasiewicz also said that the data set, though it might be reflective of it, shouldn’t be taken as an exact account of the changing student body. The survey was done as an exercise for the students in the class and shows some interesting findings, however we should maintain healthy skepticism about its statistical significance. Despite that, this story will visualize some of the data collected and examine the sentiments present behind W&L students’ voting decisions, since those might in one way or another be universal or more widely shared.
Let’s first look at who students voted for in general. The chart below shows the voting breakdown of W&L students in the 2020 Election. We can clearly see Biden standing out as the most popular candidate, however we also can’t ignore the relatively big chunk of people who voted Trump.
“What we see in this election is a really big polarization of society. There is not really a grey zone,” said Maryia Strotsava, a sophomore in Dr. Jasiewicz’s class, “because there were issues at stake, like the BLM movement, or tackling systemic racism, or COVID, or the personality of Trump – those things that really polarized people.”
The polarization aspect, definitely applicable to the entirety of the United States and even the World in general with regards to U.S. politics, also applies particularly to the Washington and Lee student body. That is, the university has been, for a while now, struggling with issues of diversity, equality, and marginalization of minority groups on campus. In addition, W&L used to be all-male and still carries the name of a confederate general – both issues that have resulted in the dividedness of the student body.
That being said, let’s look at the voter breakdown according to gender. The graph below shows the number of female and male students who voted for Trump and Biden respectively, and we can clearly see that the disparity is way greater in Biden’s case. America’s new president seems to have way more female than male supporters. It makes you wonder if that’s the case in the country in general, too. And, of course, why. Could it be because of Trump’s openly misogynist statements and rhetoric? Maybe it can also tie to the university’s all-male past? But let’s not speculate. What we know for sure is, the United States was at a crossroads, and so was Washington and Lee. It still is. And that might be reflected in students’ voting behavior and reasoning.
Looking at who people voted for can be telling, but not as much as seeing the exact reasons why people voted the way they did. In specific, the survey asked W&L students to elaborate on why they voted for or against Biden and then why they voted for or against Trump. The answers, although striking at times, were not so surprising. You’ll find below a visualization of the most common reasons why people voted for Biden and against Trump, in order to better understand that side of the story.
There is a common sentiment among W&L students that voting Biden could simply provide a relief from the Trump administration and that reflects in the data collected. Around 40% of the people who answered to the open-ended question about why they voted pro-Biden, included Donald Trump in their response as justification. That is, they voted for Biden just because he’s not Trump, despite maybe disagreeing with some or all of his views and policies.
“I think the four years of the Trump administration wore everybody out,” said Washington and Lee Journalism Professor Toni Locy. “There was constant chaos, constant tension, and I do think that there is some truth in what this survey seems to be suggesting – that people were exhausted.”
Other common answers to the why Biden question included his mere democratic affiliation and ‘more liberal than Trump’ political stance, his concern for the environment, his immigration stance, and higher concern for human rights and equality. Some students also mentioned voting pro-Biden in fear of being scrutinized or viewed negatively by their friends if they voted for Trump. That, and the overall societal pressure to not vote Trump. Another part of the data set confirms those sentiments since it shows a lot of W&L students feel uncomfortable expressing their political views in classrooms and on campus generally, in fear of repercussions.
Let’s zoom out and see whether the reasoning we see above could apply to the U.S. more broadly. According to a BBC News article on the US election results, the ‘anyone but Trump’ argument is indeed one of the main reasons people voted Biden. The article cites Thierry Adams, a native of France who lives in Florida and cast his first presidential election vote in 2020, “I’m just exhausted by Trump’s attitude as a person.” A lot of evidence seems to suggest that the sentiments demonstrated by W&L students might indeed have larger-scale implications. The visualization below shows the most common reasons why W&L students voted against Donald Trump.
I think we can all agree none of those sound particularly surprising. So much so that the anti-Trumpist sentiments seemed to have overpowered the other, more logically grounded reasons to vote for Biden.
One might wonder if the ‘not Trump’ argument is a good enough reason for anyone to vote for another candidate. It would be hard to even attempt to answer that question without going into the ethical and moral aspects of political theory. Maybe we don’t even have to try.
“Voting is an incredibly personal act. And what sways people one way or another, it’s hard to question that,” said Professor Locy. Does the reason really matter, if the outcome can be potentially more favorable for everyone? In specific, for Washington and Lee students who have been stuck in a social reformation paralysis for some time now, have at least gotten some peace of mind having Biden elected as president.
Sources used:
Zurcher, Anthony. “US Election Results: Five Reasons Biden Won.” BBC News, BBC, 7 Nov. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-54782631.
