EMMA PIRHALA / ASST.  NEWS EDITOR 

This past Super Tuesday brought voters in over a dozen states to polling centers and mailboxes on March 5,  including California, to vote in the primary elections. Students  here at USD voted    in   their    parties’    nominating contest for the upcoming presidential election in November. 

Super Tuesday’s primary elections showed President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump to be in the lead for their parties as the presumptive nominees.

USD first-year and California voter   Caylie Miller shared how she voted  in the presidential primaries. 

“I voted in the Republican primary for [Donald] Trump, because we need to put America first. We are in an uncertain economy and times, and Trump will make policies that are in the interest of Americans and that will Make America Great Again,” Miller said. 

Trump led in all but one race for the Republican party, which he lost in Vermont to Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley. However, this     win   was not enough to keep Haley  in the contest   for    the   GOP’s nomination, as she dropped out on March 6. 

At a press conference, Haley suspended her campaign.

 “The time has now come to suspend my campaign. I said I wanted Americans to have their voices heard, I have done that. I have no regrets. Although I will no longer be a candidate, I will not stop using my voice for the things I believe in,” Haley said.

USD senior and President of the Political Science Honors Society Kaiya Mitchell expressed why she voted for Biden in Virginia’s primary.

 “I voted for [Biden] because I want to see him have another four years in office,” Mitchell said.  “He has accomplished so much in his term and he knows how to get things done. Some of those accomplishments include successfully leading us through COVID, capping prescription drug prices, passing a huge    Infrastructure  bill, record environmental protections, new gun safety laws and helping revive our economy by creating over 400,000 jobs, more than any other President.   I  want to see what else he can  accomplish if given   the   chance,   and  I think that he is  our  only hope in protecting    women’s  rights and our democracy    as     an   institution.”

Closer   to  campus,   San    Diegans voted in local and state elections as well as the presidential race.

Following Senator Dianne Feinstein’s death in September 2023,  her seat in the United States Senate is up for grabs with a primary   for   the special election on Super Tuesday. Two candidates, Democratic Representative Adam Schiff and     Republican, former San Diego Padre, Steve Garvey will advance to   the   election on Nov. 5. Democratic Representative Katie Porter    will    not    continue to the election, despite  forfeiting her seat in the House of Representatives   to    run for Senate. 

Another  issue on  Californians’ ballots was “California Proposition 1,” which would amend the Mental Health Service Act, to allow counties to reappropriate  their mental health, drug   or alcohol treatments   to    focus   on   increasing   housing and individualized support, and allowing the state to borrow as much as $6.4 billion to construct mental health facilities and provide housing leads by slim margins, but it is too early to tell whether the legislation will pass. The proposition has faced significant backlash from mental health advocates, since the legislation would promote forced institutionalization and decrease individualized care. 

USD sophomore and Californian Maryann Michlovich shared similar views on Prop. 1. 

“I voted   ‘no’    on [Proposition 1],  because  it  is    way   too expensive and doesn’t actually solve or properly   address the issue of homelessness,” Michlovich said. 

However, other students struggled to vote in the primaries due to the difficulties in securing mail-in ballots.

Resident of California and USD first-year Sydney Ignasiak explained her issues   in   obtaining    a mail-in ballot. 

“I  didn’t vote, since I didn’t receive a ballot. It was delivered to my house, but I was not informed about it,” Ignasiak said. “I honestly didn’t realize that the primaries were so soon and didn’t know when the last day to vote was. However, even if I was informed that my ballot was delivered, I don’t think I would have voted, since I don’t know enough about the candidates.”  

USD Votes is a nonpartisan organization which promotes voting and election accessibility on campus.

USD senior and President of USD Votes   Iesha Brown detailed ways in which the organization can help students struggling to get involved in the election. 

“Resources available on campus for students to remain informed on voting, comes directly from USD Votes and our collaboration   with other student orgs and faculty to support students   on   how   they can   develop their    plan to vote   whether   they are in or   out of state.  Not   only   do   we   collaborate    to deliver student   presentations, but   we also table   around different spots on campus to ensure students have the opportunity to meet us and remain informed.”

Super Tuesday was not the conclusion of the primaries, with the remaining states’ nominations trickling in until June. However, with no other remaining candidates, the state of the election currently holds a Trump versus Biden rematch  come Election Day on Nov. 5.