Kyle Curl, a senior nursing major, said he didn’t cast a vote for the presidential race when he voted in the Marshall Student Center on Tuesday.

“I don’t like them,” Curl, 21, said. “I’m very centralist, so I don’t like how far one is right and how far one is left. I just wanted to vote on the laws.”

Curl also said he didn’t want to vote on a third-party candidate because he felt they would lose either way. So, he left the first question on the ballot blank.

Curl was just one student who cast his ballot on campus in the 2024 election. In addition to the highly-contested presidential race, people could vote for key state amendments, referendums and local races. 

Related: USF students debate major policy issues ahead of election

Amendment 4, which would restore abortion access in most cases in Florida, and Amendment 3, which would legalize recreational marijuana for those 21 or older in Florida, were among the top issues for USF student voters.

Voting on these motivated Curl to head to a third-floor conference room in the MSC to cast his ballot in the middle of a school day.

Related: USF, Election Day is coming up. Here’s what you need to know.

He said he wanted to vote on Florida’s proposed amendments and the referendums. His mom is a teacher, so voting in favor of renewing the half-cent community investment sales tax that could support public schools was important to him, he said.

Curl said he also voted in favor of Amendment 4.

“It’s not my situation as a guy,” he said.

Ananya Kunamneni, a freshman health sciences major, said she voted in favor of Amendment 4 because of her family.

“I’ve had family members who’ve had to have abortions, not because they wanted to, but because they had to,” Kunamneni, 18, said. “And that kind of made me emotional.”

She said her aunt told Kunamneni she would decide whether or not to have children in the next four years based on who was elected. 

“If one of the candidates was elected president, she would not have children for as long as that person was president because she didn’t feel safe having that child,” Kunamneni said.

Kunamneni said she voted for democratic candidate Kamala Harris but didn’t know she would be voting on other issues. She said someone who looked like they were advocating for the Harris-Walz ticket gave her a pamphlet that she based her votes on.

Related: Abortion and marijuana amendments are pressing concerns for USF students

Some students, like Angelo Mihaj, said they were turned away from the MSC polling location because they were registered to vote at their home address.

Gerri Kramer, a spokesperson for the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office, said students who live on campus could do a change of address at the MSC on Election Day.

Mihaj, a junior finance major, said he was going to drive 40 minutes to New Port Richey to cast his ballot at his assigned polling place.

“I’m excited to go out to vote to be honest,” Mihaj, 20, said “I wanted to do it since I was 18.”

He said he doesn’t keep up with politics much, but likes that he can vote.

Mihaj said he is planning to vote for republican candidate Donald Trump “just because it makes more sense.”

He said he likes that Trump has a background in business and thinks the economy is one of the most important issues. 

“Money runs the world,” Mihaj said. 

He said the cost to buy a house in the past few years has been “ridiculous” and that they were more affordable when Trump was president.

He also said Trump’s views on foreign policy were important to him.

“People don’t mess with America when he’s in office,” Mihaj said.

Noah Bodner, a sophomore history major, said while he considers himself “pretty left-leaning,” he didn’t “love” either candidate. 

However, when casting his ballot, he chose Harris, rather than a third-party candidate. 

“I feel that now, especially with an election like this one, now is not the time to try to use your vote on a third party,” he said.

Bodner, 20, said he voted for Harris because he felt she could do a better job addressing the issues he’s passionate about.

Among those issues, Bodner said he was most passionate about voting in favor of the abortion and marijuana amendments. 

Related: OPINION: Why USF Students should be all for Amendment 4

Despite the passion some voters felt, a sense of anxiety lingers as they await the results.

Places like Washington D.C. have boarded up windows and appear to be hunkering down ahead of the results from Election Day. Some students, like Kunamneni, said they were feeling anxious during their first time voting in the presidential election.

Others, like Bodner, are expecting “chaos.”

“I feel, no matter what the result, some kind of chaos is going to happen,” Bodner said. “But, then again, that happens kind of every election.”

However, other students, like Curl, are not anxious but hope people stay safe.

“It sounds selfish, but I don’t think it affects me here,” he said. “But, it’s America, so it’s going to be tough.”