'I want to make a change': 6 first-time voters share thoughts on historic 2024 election

These six men and women have different political views.

They are of different races, backgrounds and ages, ranging from 18 to 49.

Some know who’ll get their vote for president , while a few haven’t yet decided.

They are united by an enthusiasm to vote for the first time in an election that has already included the former president narrowly avoiding an assassination attempt and the current president dropping out of the race.

“I think it’s like a movie,” said Olori Manns, 49, of Akron, who’ll be voting for the first time in the Nov. 5 election. “You can’t afford not to stay tuned and see what happens next.”

Cherie Strachan, director of the University of Akron’s Bliss Institute of Applied Politics, said first-time voters could make a difference in what is expected to be a close election, with key races in Ohio for not just president but also Congress and the U.S. Senate.

Strachan pointed to a recent Ohio Capital Journal article highlighting that more than 48,600 18-year-olds were registered to vote in Ohio as of early January, which was 35% higher than last August.

“If all of those voters show up, it does have the ability to influence and shape the election outcome but also the kind of issues that get attention,” Strachan said.

The Beacon Journal sought out a diverse group of people with Summit County ties who will vote for the first time in a presidential election this year. Reporters will check in with these voters periodically leading up to and after the November election to chronicle their experience and see if their views change.

More: Ohio 2024 voter guide: What to know about registration, casting ballots, photo ID rules

Here, meet the six voters we’ll be following this election season.

Happy birthday: 18-year-old voter registered on first day he could

One of the first things Max Graham did on his 18th birthday in May was register to vote.

“I love politics,” said Graham, who is from Seville in Medina County. “It’s exciting to play a small part this time.”

Graham, who took college courses at the University of Akron during high school, is majoring in political science at UA and plans to go to law school.

The self-described conservative is working part-time this summer for the Summit County Republican Party. He answers phones, responds to emails, distributes literature, attends meetings with candidates, and even manned the party’s table at the Summit County Fair last week.

Graham thinks he has a good grasp on the voting process but is uncertain about how to research local candidates, such as those running for state representative and senator. He said he knows some voters skip these races, but he doesn’t want to do that.

Graham gets his news from Fox News and the Google News app. He said he’s been most influenced in his political views by his father, who is conservative and in law enforcement.

The issues Graham cares most about are inflation, the national debt and abortion. A Christian who has gone on missionary trips, Graham said he believes “life is sacred.”

Graham said he sees Republican nominee Donald Trump “as someone who is good for the country and sometimes bad for himself” and thinks President Joe Biden made the right decision by dropping out. He thinks the delayed timing of Biden’s decision, though, is unfortunate.

Graham said he’s not a big fan of Vice President Kamala Harris, the new presumed Democratic nominee, and plans to vote for Trump. He said Harris’ choice of a running mate would be unlikely to change his mind.

“The one thing that would make it more interesting is if RFK gains momentum in his independent race,” he said, referring to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent running for president.

First-time voter wants to see her generation step up

One Gen-Z voter says her generation needs to speak up and vote on issues they care about to change the future.

“The youth need to be using their voice and let it be known that we’re here − present in time − and we’re doing what we have to do to get our society where it needs to be,” said 20-year-old Sydney Montique from East Cleveland.

Montique attends the University of Akron, where she majors in business finance. She is involved with the College Democrats at UA and helps students register to vote.

Montique questions why most political candidates are older Caucasian men. She feels most minority candidates are ignored, even those who run independently.

With Harris as the presumed Democratic presidential nominee , Montique is excited for the possibility of a woman in office.

"It's... very inspiring because she is a Black woman," Montique said. "She is looking out for the best in our country. It's time for a change."

Montique also wonders how she can do more research to make sure she chooses the best candidates. She gets most of her political news from social media platforms such as TikTok.

Even though she leans Democratic, she said Trump has educated her on her political views.

“He has shown me everything that is going wrong in this country,” Montique said.

Women’s rights and police brutality are two issues that weigh heavily on Montique as she gets ready to vote in November. She believes all the races on the ballot are important because, she said, local politics are where change often starts.

“Where it starts off small is the biggest impact because they can be making the change first before it even gets up to the White House,” Montique said.

Woman who immigrated from the Philippines is proud to be a Republican

Angel Sobolewski, 21, takes pride in being a member of the Republican Party.

“I have met J.D. Vance, Bernie Moreno and Kevin Coughlin,” Sobolewski said, adding that she eventually hopes to add Trump to the list of Republican political nominees she's met.

Sobolewski is currently working as a canvasser for the Concerned Veterans for America and previously worked for the Summit County Republican Party. She is pursuing a political science degree at Stark State College and hopes to transfer to UA in the next year. She said she is already an unofficial member of UA’s College Republicans and Turning Point USA chapters.

Sobolewski said she wants everyone to vote and is encouraging her friends to participate in the process.

“They’re not active voters,” she said. “I want them to vote.”

She gets most of her news from X, formerly known as Twitter, because of its real-time updates, she said. When she worked for the county GOP, she learned a lot about local candidates and issues.

“I care about the presidential election, but I now care more about the local races than before,” Sobolewski said.

Two issues she cares about deeply are border control and education. For her, immigration is personal because she and her mother were legal immigrants from the Philippines. She knows how hard the paperwork was for them and believes things should be fair for everyone coming into the United States.

Sobolewski, who lives in Copley, also has siblings in school now and is concerned about the quality of education they receive.

To further her participation in politics, she attends school board and local government meetings and meets local officials.

“I want to do something where it can have the most effect,” Sobolewski said. “It starts where you live. If I have an issue, I go to town hall or pop into board meetings.”

Sobolewski’s all-time favorite president is Trump. She said most of his policies align with her beliefs.

“The issues that matter right now are the issues that he is really good at doing something about,” she said.

She plans to do as much as she can to advocate for Trump and J.D. Vance, his pick for vice president , leading up to the election.

“I wish I could do more, but I just want us to win,” she said.

UA student doesn’t understand peers who don’t want to vote

Dylan Leipold is excited to be able to vote in the presidential election for the first time − and he doesn’t understand his peers who aren’t.

“It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me,” said Leipold, 21, a University of Akron student majoring in business administration.

Leipold considered pursuing a political career – even working on two state legislative campaigns – but decided it wasn’t the path for him. He has remained tuned-in to politics, though, and gets his news from X and the Wall Street Journal.

Leipold, who is from Cuyahoga Falls, grew up in a family with conservative views, which he said has shaped his political philosophy. He said he has friends he agrees and disagrees with on political issues.

The issues that matter most to him are the economy, America’s reputation on the world stage and the government’s social policy.

Besides the presidential race, Leipold cares about Ohio’s races for Congress and the state legislature.

“I haven’t spent as much time looking into those,” he said. “I will before I vote.”

Leipold said he was initially interested in RFK for president before he decided he was “too far out there.” He said the presidential campaign has been chaotic.

“I don’t know quite what to make of it,” he said.

At this point, Leipold said he’s leaning toward voting for Trump, though he’s interested to see if Harris is the Democratic nominee and who is tapped to be her running mate.

If Harris had someone more moderate on her slate, like Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Leipold said that would be interesting. Manchin is a Democrat-turned-independent who considered running for president but recently said he won’t.

“If he was nominated, I would look at the ticket,” Leipold said.

New citizen is excited to vote for the first time

For 27-year-old Samantha Byake Mutebi, voting is something she takes personally.

“Back in my country, there were a lot of things I didn’t like, but I couldn’t speak up,” she said. “America is now my home, and I’m grateful I can now make my home better.”

Mutebi is a refugee from Uganda who was born in Congo. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in May.

Mutebi said her country was at war since she was born, and she experienced things she shouldn’t have at such a young age.

When she was 11, she walked by foot to Uganda seeking help. During her time in Uganda, she received a bachelor's degree in psychology from Makerere University.

Mutebi immigrated to the United States in 2019 and landed in Akron. Since then, she has done advocacy work in the city and is an interpreter for Akron Public Schools. She speaks seven languages and has an infant son.

“I want to make a change,” Mutebi said. “Some people think that their one vote doesn’t matter, but that one vote can make a difference.”

After she got naturalized, Mutebi quickly registered and plans to vote early in the November election. She is among an estimated 3.5 million adults of voting age who have become citizens since the 2020 election, according to data from the U.S. Immigration Policy Center at the University of California San Diego.

Mutebi said she gets most of her political news from the Akron Beacon Journal. She tries to stay informed about both local and national current events and issues.

Aside from the presidential election, she is interested in Ohio’s U.S. Senate race.

Two main issues that are important to her are immigration policies involving refugees and gun violence. She isn’t yet sure of her political affiliation, though she expects to figure that out after the second presidential debate in September.

She thought the first presidential debate between Trump and Biden was like watching a comedy show.

“What is this − these two might be the next president?” asked Mutebi.

After Biden’s exit from the race and Harris' presumed entrance, Mutebi said she still hasn’t decided who will get her vote.

Akron man voting for first time after three decades being eligible

At 49, Olori Manns isn’t the typical first-time voter.

The Akron man said he always thought his vote didn’t matter.

Recently, though, he’s had a job registering voters − and he’s now excited to vote.

“It’s time for purpose,” Manns said. “I’m trying to believe in something and be part of something.”

Manns, a life-long musician with two children, grew up in New York City and then moved to Miami. He came to Akron 3½ years ago to be closer to his father Baba David Coleman, a well-known African drummer. Coleman died of cancer in February 2021 .

Manns registered to vote last year but didn’t follow through. He recently got a job registering voters for a nonprofit based in Cleveland and then, about a month ago, for Freedom BLOC, a civic group whose office is near his home.

“It doesn’t feel like a job,” said Manns, whose goal is to register 15 voters a day. “I’m digging it.”

Manns mainly gets his news from the apps Haystack and News Break. He admits he has a lot to learn about the issues and races in November and the voting process.

“Do you go into a booth? What do you push?” Manns asked, with a reporter explaining he’ll fill in bubbles on his ballot. “I’d like to go through the process.”

Manns said two of the main issues he cares about are the rapid growth of homelessness and the need for better health care. He’s not sure of his political affiliation, though he identifies more with Democrats.

Manns hasn’t made up his mind about which presidential candidate he’ll support, but he’s leaning toward Harris if she is the Democratic nominee. He’s excited by the prospect of the country’s first female president.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how the whole thing plays out,” he said.

Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3705. Alisson Toro-Lagos can be reached at atorolagos@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 'I want to make a change': 6 first-time voters share thoughts on historic 2024 election