Adrian Ryan ’27 is an international relations major. He is the College of William and Mary’s Young Democrats’ President. Contact him at agryan@wm.edu.
The views expressed in the article are the author’s own.
Our country and community feel burnt out. Recent political developments have left many of us feeling exhausted, demoralized and eager to disengage.
In the past year, we’ve lived through a tumultuous and overwhelming time, fraught with assassinations, political turmoil and the unraveling of established democratic norms. The President’s flurry of executive orders and questionable policies, an intentionally overwhelming strategy, has worsened the sentiment.
We must not succumb to political burnout. Doing so diminishes our ability to hold our elected officials to account. Today, tuning out or disengaging from our democratic system, tempting as it may be, is downright dangerous. We must remain informed and engaged, especially with the current kakistocracy in Washington.
Above all, we must vote this year.
We all have the unique opportunity to rebuke the current administration for the first time when we vote in November. This opportunity is a rare electoral privilege: only Virginia and New Jersey will hold elections with national implications this year. It also carries enormous responsibility. An overwhelming rejection of the current administration will only materialize if we vote to elect qualified representatives to Richmond who will work to insulate us from those currently in Washington. All College of William and Mary students, faculty, local alumni and community members can — and should — contribute to this essential effort by voting in Virginia.
We are all eligible to vote in this year’s election, regardless of home state, because we are Williamsburg residents. Students who missed the deadline to register to vote should vote via a provisional ballot on Election Day at their polling place. Provisional ballots count the same as normal ballots, pending the verification of a student’s identification and voter eligibility.
Our votes will prove most consequential in Virginia, especially in Williamsburg. This year, Virginia’s statewide races — for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general — are among the most competitive in the country and hold the most national significance until the 2026 midterm elections. Williamsburg is home to one of the closest Virginia House of Delegates races this year. The 2023 race with the same candidates was decided by just 667 votes out of 35,637. Similarly slim margins are expected this year.
We should also vote in Williamsburg regardless of where we plan to vote in the 2026 midterm elections. All students can vote in Williamsburg this year and elsewhere next year. To do so, they should simply change their registration to their home state following Election Day. In most states, this process is simple and straightforward.
The entire College community must vote in this year’s election. The ballot is the best way to safeguard our country and community. Though this year’s elections are not for federal office, they mark our country’s first significant opportunity to rebuke the current administration. We must overcome our political burnout and seize this opportunity.
