As classes are remote on Election Day for the  first time in Pitt history, many students who didn’t vote early or by mail-in ballot are heading to their polling stations today to vote. 

Pennsylvania has the most electoral votes (19) of the seven declared swing states in this election cycle, giving it the potential to decide the outcome of the presidential race. 

Both presidential candidates Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump visited Pittsburgh on Monday to encourage last-minute votes to close out the presidential campaign cycle. 

Polls in Allegheny County opened this morning at 7 a.m. and will close tonight at 8 p.m. Anyone in line by 8 p.m. will still be allowed to vote. 

Live updates from student polling locations Posvar Hall, the William Pitt Union, Soldiers and Sailors Museum, and the South Oakland Fire Station on McKee Place can be viewed here. 

8:15 p.m.

Natalie Desmond, a sophomore communications major, said that although she had to vote later in the day because of her work schedule, she chose to cast her ballot in-person because her mail-in ballot was lost twice.

“I was actually going to do the mail-in ballot, and it was really hard, and they lost my ballot twice, actually,” Desmond said. “Last minute, I found out that I was registered in PA and that I could vote in person. So I definitely wanted to get my vote in.”

Meghan McGrory, a recent Pitt graduate who still lives in Oakland, said she decided to vote in-person to, “know that I’m the person in charge of my ballot going to the right place.”

McGrory said she cast her vote for Harris because she felt the candidate represents her as a woman.

“I think that Donald Trump’s policies are really scary for women in this country at the moment,” McGrory said. “I think the biggest thing for me is the abortion policy.”

While McGrory said she is “not in love with” either candidate, she cast her vote based off of the “[lesser] of two evils” in this election.

“I think that Kamala understands much more than Donald Trump does about a very large percentage of the population of the country and I think that that is someone I would much rather have over him,” McGrory said. 

Grisha Maini, a junior double majoring in psychology and neuroscience, said she is voting for Harris because of her “feminism” and “her sympathy towards women and everyone.” 

“[Harris is] going to save the abortion ban, unlike Trump, and I feel like that would really help all women in the world,” Maini said. “If there was an abortion ban, other countries might fall in line as well.” 

Reushil Hegdeshanbhog, a senior economics major, said he voted for Harris based on his preference for her economic policies rather than those of Donald Trump.

“The economy matters most to me when voting,” Hegdeshanbhog said. “We need to cut our deficit and I think her plans are the best addressed towards that.”

As an out-of-state student, Hegdeshanbhog said he preferred to vote in-person as opposed to a mail-in because, “I like to know my vote is instantly counted there.”

6:25 p.m.

Amanda Alvarez, a first time voter and first-year bioengineering major from Puerto Rico, said she voted for Kamala Harris because she supports women rights, abortion rights and comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s recent comments about Puerto Rico. 

“Someone endorsing Trump said that Puerto Rico is a floating pile of trash, so I don’t support that,” said Alvarez.

Charlotte Walker, a senior developmental psychology major, said she voted for Harris “because I’m a woman, and I’m not trying to take 17 steps back.”

“I want to have a daughter one day, but hopefully she has more rights than I do,” Walker said. 

She also said she decided to vote in-person because she wanted to make sure her vote is counted. 

“I think that Biden would have won anyways, but I also think that it wasn’t completely correct. The count wasn’t right because there was so much going on,” said Walker. “And so I just thought it’d be easier to [vote] in person.”

Ashely Blous, a junior emergency medicine major, said she chose to vote for Harris because she wants a president who “believes healthcare is a real thing”.

“I am planning on going into the medical field,” Blous said, “and I truly believe that if someone doesn’t trust the medical field and what they stand for… and think that healthcare is a real thing, especially reproductive rights, that’s a little insane. You save lives through medicine and healthcare… not [through] telling people to drink bleach.”

Seth Naletari, a freshman economics major, said he voted for Trump because “I feel as though he has a better sense of what the economy is going to be.”

“He has a better sense of national security, and what to do with diplomacy nationally,” Naletari said. 

Anna Ivaturi, a first-year psychology major, voted for Kamala Harris today because it’s “all about women’s rights.”

“I believe she addresses women’s rights more effectively than the other candidates,” Ivaturi said. “I feel like she also addresses some of the major issues that we have in our economy, like inflation, and I think her policies on price gouging are very, very effective.”

Michaela Santisi, a senior social work major, said she voted in person for Kamala Harris.

“My reasoning is that equal rights just extremely, extremely matter,” Santisi said. “I’m coming from a very queer family — I have lesbian moms, I have a transgender sister. I don’t want to see their rights get stripped away. I don’t see anyone’s rights get stripped away, period.”

Santisi also described voting on campus as convenient.

“There’s really no excuse not to vote when it’s right here,” Santisi said. “And also, it’s really quick and easy, and the people who work here who are running it are really helpful and supportive.”

4:45 p.m. 

Cassidy Cornick, a first-year business major, and  Leia Kaufman, a first year public health major, came to the polls together to cast their votes for Harris and the Democrats. They both said reproductive rights, immigration and the economy were on the tops of their minds.

“I think it’s extremely important as a woman to be voting for the rest of my life [and] for my children one day,” Cornick said. “All of our rights are getting taken away.”

Troy Galbreath, a first-year physical therapy major, said he voted for Trump and considered prices, inflation and the economy while in the polling booth.

“I think that during his presidency, the economy was better and I don’t think Kamala is really going to help,” Galbreath said. “It’s just going to be the same thing as Joe Biden, so it’s not really gonna change anything.

Kate Carpenter, a junior psychology major, said she voted for Harris because of “her policies on just freedom in general.” Carpenter also said she voted for Harris because of her distaste for Trump and how much she would love to have a female president.

“I hate Donald Trump, like he is the worst person in the world to me,” Carpenter said. “I feel like [Harris] can win and I just love seeing a female president.”

Carpenter voted for all Democrats on the ballot as well citing how their policies align with her beliefs.

“I like their policies a lot more than the Republican policies, just on the economy and healthcare,” Carpenter said. 

Richard Polovina, a first-year engineering major, said he wasn’t planning on voting until a week ago, when he learned about Pennsylvania’s importance in this election. He said he voted for Trump but left the rest of his ballot unfilled because “I don’t want to vote for something that I didn’t research.”

“Before I came to school here, I was more pro-Trump, and then I came here and not many people at a liberal school are gonna like Trump, then I was in the middle,” Polovina said. “I don’t consider myself a Republican or a Democrat.”

Josh Hamilton, a junior mechanical engineering major, also said voted for Trump due to his stance on the economy.

“I believe that largely economically is the reason I chose [to vote for Trump],” said Hamilton. “Economically, I think it’s best for the country.”

Isabella Latona, a junior molecular biology major, said she voted for Harris mainly due to issues surrounding health care and immigration. She also mentioned the negative comments made about Puerto Rico at the Trump Rally at Madison Square Garden.

“I have a lot of  friends from Puerto Rico,” Latona said.

Chloe Norris, a junior nursing major, said she voted for Harris due to reproductive rights.

“I voted for Kamala Harris because I believe in women’s rights and I believe all women should have a right to an abortion no matter what state they are in,” said Norris.

2 p.m.

Anjola Oludayo, a senior pharmacy major from Maryland who changed her voter registration to Pennsylvania so she could vote in-person, said she was “super excited” to vote in the election. 

“It’s a big experience for me. It’s my first [time voting],” Oludayo said. “I was nervous at first just because of safety reasons, but it was so quick and easy.”

Oludayo said she voted for Harris and Walz because she feels represented by Harris and believes Harris “really is for the people.”

“I became very hyper-aware of my race and my identity when I came to college. There isn’t a lot of systemic support for Black women, especially in college,” Oludayo said. “I went to one of Harris’s rallies and she was just so inspiring. I’ve been following her policies ever since.”

William Beddick, a senior communications and public and professional writing major said Trump’s stance on IVF was a major reason he voted blue.

“Donald Trump is very against IVF treatments and wants to ban IVF. If there’s no IVF, then I can’t have my own child, so why would I want to vote for a candidate who doesn’t want me to have a family?” Beddick said.

As a first time voter, Beddick said he voted in person for the full experience.

“I think it’s very powerful to vote in person for the first female president. It’s very exciting. This is my first presidential election I can actually vote in, so I wanted to go to vote in person,” Beddick said.

Finley Geist, a 2026 communication and theater arts graduate student and first time Pennsylvania voter, said healthcare and quality of living were the focal points of his choice to vote for Harris.

“I’m a trans person, so being able to still access my healthcare is a concern of mine,” Geist said. “I would like to be able to keep doing that—so making sure that a lot of the people who are trying to live good lives in this country are able to not live in fear.”

Bryan Calderon, an undeclared first-year, spoke on the personal experiences that got him out to vote today.

“I wasn’t planning on voting today, however I experienced acts of racism this weekend. That kinda motivated me to come in here and vote,” Calderon said.

12:09 p.m.

Sara Dos Santos, a first-year public health major and registered Republican, said she voted for the first time this election and casted her ballot for Donald Trump because she “wants to be able to afford a house sometime soon.”

“I miss the way prices were before inflation,” Dos Santos said. “Overall, when he was president, I saw positive change in my country, and in four years, I’ve seen negative change in my country with Kamala. That’s all it is.”

Cassidy Whitcomb, a first-year nursing student, also said she voted for Trump and described him as “for the American patriot.” She said her biggest concern was the border.

“I think that it’s wrong that we’re allowing 10 million people to come into our country illegally and killing American citizens,” Whitcomb said. “I’m totally for people coming in legally … I just don’t agree with leaving [the border] open.”

Zachary Call, a first-year engineering major, said he voted for Harris because he opposes Trump’s foreign policy.

“I’m from a military family and my dad works for NATO,” Call said. “Trump’s views of wanting to separate from NATO was one of the main things [that influenced my vote].”

Glenn Lewis, 62, a South Oakland resident and piano player at the Pittsburgh Opera, said he voted Democrat “straight down” over concern for women’s reproductive rights, and referenced an event featuring Harris during the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court justice hearing.

“She asked ‘How many laws can you name that regulate men’s bodies?,’” Lewis said. “Of course, there are none, but there’s always been laws trying to regulate women’s bodies, and that needs to stop.”

Anastasia Pendos, a first-year nursing student, also said she voted for Harris since she cares about issues like abortion and immigration.

“I think the way that our country’s going, she’ll be better for our country in general,” Pendos said. “She just is more representative of a woman’s vote over a man’s vote.”

Sophia Bellinghausen, a junior communication science major, said she voted in-person because she wanted to have the “full experience” voting for the first time.

“I voted for Kamala Harris because I love all of her policies and she’s really an advocate for women’s rights,” Bellinghausen said. “I just think that’s the kind of person that we should have.”

Caleb Epstein, an undeclared sophomore, said he did not feel comfortable sharing his vote, but voted in-person to make sure his vote was counted. 

“It’s not that I don’t trust mail and ballots. I don’t trust the US postal service,” Epstein said. 

10:32 a.m.

Amaya Aranda, a junior neuroscience major, said she came to the polls early in the morning to vote for Harris.

“This is my first presidential election, so I wanted to come to the polls,” Aranda said. “I was worried there was going to be a long line later so I wanted to get it done early.”

Sophia McAllen, an undecided sophomore, said she also wanted to come out early to avoid the lines. McAllen said she wanted to get her vote in in-person because she “know[s] that [her] counts.”

Charlotte Hunter, a senior math major, said she chose to vote in person today because she got to do it together with her friends.

“It’s fun to do it together,” said Hunter. “Also it feels more symbolic and I didn’t have to mail in.”

Spencer Upston, a junior economics major, said they voted on the ballot for Democrats out of concern for the economy.

“As someone who’s going to be looking for jobs in the next 18 months — that’s really at the front of my mind,” Upston said. “I think she’s laid out more of a concrete plan, compared to him just kind of fear mongering.”

Nina Bober, a senior psychology major, said she voted for Harris “as a woman.”

“I voted for a woman’s right to choose, and to support her policies like access to healthcare, women’s rights, and abortions,” Bober said. 

Dennis Tulin, an undeclared first-year, said he voted for Harris mostly because he didn’t like the opposing candidate.

“I voted for Kamala Harris mainly because of the opposition,” Tulin said. “At the same time I think there are good things to be said about her policies and people overstate how bad the economy is and Biden has done a lot to improve it and Kamala will continue it.”

Emma Hannan, Sarah George, Sydney Krasniewski, Naomi Weiss, Kyra McCague, Katie Hovan, Abby Lipold, Spencer Levering, Neel Kamal, Ashley O’Doherty, Matthew Scabilloni, Amanda Yu, Adrienne Cahillane, Madeline Ward, Kelly McPoyle, Linda Li, Colm Slevin, Aidan Kasner, and Bridget Pohl contributed to reporting in this article.