For the past couple of weeks, the University had been engulfed by "the campaign frenzy" leading up to yesterday's presidential election. While most of the student body geared up for voting on Nov. 2, international students said they remained alert but passive.
"It's very frustrating not being able to vote, especially because the current government is passing legislation about visas and immigration," said fourth-year College student Marie Mol, who is from France. "But being here and not being able to vote reinforces how much value voting has."
Third-year College student Juan Desola, who is from El Salvador, also mentioned the importance of American elections on international students.
"The U.S. election is more like a world war," Desola said. "It affects the whole world politically and economically."
International students also pointed out the differences between the American election process and that of their own countries.
"The election in El Salvador is through popular vote, not electoral vote," Desola said. "Here in Virginia if you are a Democrat, your vote can't really count. I am for popular vote, but I can see why they need the electoral vote with such a diverse population."
In addition to differences between the actual voting processes, students also mentioned the American emphasis on politicians' personalities.
"It really shouldn't matter who went to Vietnam, or who was a war hero," Desola said. "We have a president who was a sportscaster. He started from the very bottom. That's awesome, but that shouldn't be the issue. What's important is whether they intend to make this country better in four years."
Mol agreed with Desola regarding the exaggerated emphasis on politicians' personalities.
"The campaign process here is not just about the issues -- it almost turns into a Hollywood saga," Mol said. "We also take personality into consideration in France, but it is not important if the person is divorced or not. What we are really going to look at is his agenda and who is going to do the best job."
Another issue that the students pointed out was the level of political participation in the United States.
"We are in a college campus, so there is a lot of talk about politics," Mol said. "In an environment where U.Dems and College Republicans play an active role; there is the constant opportunity to participate in discussion. It's great to be here, but it is definitely hard not to have a final say."
Fourth-year College student Hadi Irvani, from the United Kingdom, also noted the political nature of the University.
"Young people are much more politically active here than in the U.K., however, the activism is very polarized," Irvani said. "I personally look forward [to the end of the election], as the partisanship has split many friendships."
Desola said he also has observed this tension among the supporters of the two different parties.
"I am worried that after this election people will grow further and further apart," Desola said. "Whoever wins, the other side will be pissed off"
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