Tense, messy, divided—these were amongst some of the top words Mira Loma students used to describe the 2024 U.S. election in one word in a recent survey of 29 high school students.
On November 5th, millions of Americans voted to determine new members of the 119th Congress and the 47th President. However, with 34 of the 100 Senate seats, all 435 seats of the House of Representatives, and the presidential position up for grabs, who to vote for came down to issues in the country and campaign efforts between both parties.
Many had believed that the presidential election would be a repeat of 2020 between current Democratic incumbent Joe Biden against former president Donald Trump, but shock arose to the world on July 21st, 2024, when Joe Biden withdrew his candidacy for a second term despite winning the democratic primaries and withdrawing only 4 months until election day. Kamala Harris, President Biden’s Vice President and long-time California official, took up the Democratic nomination following Biden’s withdrawal in July. As a former Senator and Attorney General, she had strong support from her party but faced a challenging race.
Kamala Harris, like with many Mira Loma High School students, is from the state of California where she has had a long career with the state; in 2004, she was the 27th District Attorney of San Francisco; in 2011, she became the 32nd Attorney General of California; then, in 2017, she was elected to the senate as the successor of Barbara Boxer. But, as Vice President of the United States, it made complete sense for her to be the successor to Joe Biden’s presidential campaign in the minds of many Americans. Even so, this election would be no easy task, even as a current office-holder.
Her opponent, Donald Trump, former President of the United States and billionaire, was looking to enact his campaign after suffering a loss in the 2020 election, an election that was determined by an unpredictable global pandemic and protests amongst many states against racial prejudice after the death of George Floyd. Although both candidates had strong support for their campaigns, voters took the polls on many issues facing the country.
After a Republican resurgence, Donald Trump was projected to win the 2024 election, and with Republicans flipping 4 seats in the Senate, they became positioned to gain control of the Senate. However, the House of Representatives results remain pending, leaving the potential for a Republican majority in both chambers uncertain.
Just a day after the election, Vice President Kamala Harris formally conceded in a speech at her alma mater, Howard University. She addressed to the nation:
“The light of America’s promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting…
While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign—the fight: the fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness, and the dignity of all people…
There’s an adage a historian once called a law of history, true of every society across the ages. The adage is, only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for the benefit of us all, I hope that is not the case. But here’s the thing, America, if it is, let us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion of stars.”
(Times Magazine)
On November 7th, a survey was conducted online to ask current Mira Loma high school students about their thoughts about the election and what they thought were the most pressing issues to the country. Most people often overlook what the youth thinks about public affairs that affect everyone in the country, and this survey gave a unique opportunity to gain insight into how high school students perceived the results of the election.
In the post-election survey of Mira Loma students, the economy emerged as the top issue, with concerns about economic inequality, healthcare costs, and job stability. The second most pressing issue was social justice, with many students highlighting women’s rights, racial justice, and LGBTQIA+ rights. One anonymous respondent added:
“The 2024 election gave me a lot of insight into how exactly this country viewed marginalized groups, whether it be women, POC, or LGBTQIA+ individuals, and served as a real wake up call, making me wary about future decisions I make in my own personal life,”
Another question on the survey was to ask students if they believed the results of the 2024 election would bring significant change.
Responses ranged from faculty members to seniors to freshmen, but with 28 of the 29 respondents stating that they believed the results of the 2024 election will bring significant change paints a rather telling picture.
At the end of the form, many students added additional comments on their thoughts to feel fully vocalized in the article:
“It is “interesting” that the issue most people said they voted on (the cost of groceries) is not something the president can control and the person who one had a plan to fix,”
“I believe the results will bring about change, but whether or not the change will be good concerns me,”
“I feel as if this election was bad as we had to choose between two candidates so the lesser of two evils has to be picked,”
“I’m worried because this election now impacts where I plan to go to college and live in the future, it’s a new factor that I have to account for last minute, as long as many others my age having to question their futures. I wish our politicians were informed in ECONOMICS! Our economy is kinda doomed with either, please learn economics super well before becoming President David,”
As results come in, the future of U.S. policy remains uncertain as the House of Representatives are still being decided. For students at Mira Loma, this election has already impacted their outlook on the future, and many will continue to follow the unfolding political landscape closely.
The future of the United States will undoubtedly receive significant change after the results of what could be the most consequential election in American history.
Works Cited
“Read Vice President Kamala Harris’ Full Concession Speech.” TIME, Time, 6 Nov. 2024,
time.com/7173617/kamala-harris-concession-speech-full-transcript/.
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