“I voted” stickers sit next to the ballot box outside of the voting booths at the UMC. Tuesday, March 3, 2020 (Kara Wagenknecht/CU Independent)
On Nov. 5, voters nationwide cast their ballots to determine who would hold the highest seat in the country, dictating decisions over the economy, national security and foreign policy.
Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, the product of a long-growing conflict between the two nations. For some, the war dictated which candidate voters supported. For others, the conflict was seemingly overshadowed by domestic concerns and wars waging on other fronts.
Many students at the University of Colorado Boulder voted for the first time in the recent election.
The United States has financially supported Ukraine since 2022, leading some, particularly Republicans, to believe the United States is giving too much aid to Ukraine.
There are also concerns from the United States government that the war between Russia and Ukraine could continue growing, ultimately affecting global security.
For some, the current war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas has pushed the Russia-Ukraine war out of the limelight and out of the eyes of American voters.
Casey Ringer, a CU Boulder student and the secretary general of the university’s Model United Nations, said she believes students at CU Boulder are losing interest in the conflict due to the war in Gaza.
“A lot of CU (Boulder) students are concerned with foreign policy, but I would say that I believe that the key issue that they would be voting on wouldn’t be Ukraine, but would be Israel and Palestine,” Ringer said.
Ringer also said that representatives for both the Democratic and Republican parties tend to agree on procedures and plans for the war in Gaza, however, they differ on the Russian-Ukrainian war.
“The main representatives of both parties have very similar procedures and plans for Israel and Palestine, but then differ in Ukraine because the Republicans would like to decrease funding and aid to Ukraine and try to encourage other nations to step up.”
Sarah Sokhey, an associate professor in the political science department at CU Boulder and specialist in Eastern European politics, believes that the war holds the same weight today as it did a few years ago.
“If you’re only paying passive attention to it, there is a misperception that the war has stalled out. The reality is that it’s just as bad as it was and that the current Russian government and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s current regime is just as big of a threat,” Sokhey said.
She said she believes the conflict should remain a concern for everyone due to the possible consequences of a Russian victory.
“I think people should be very concerned about the long-term ramifications of the current Russian government being empowered and acting aggressively in the world while undermining freedom and democracy,” she said. “If Russia is allowed to make gains in Ukraine, that is very bad for everyone.”
Some Americans see this war as a burden on their finances. Given the continued support from the U.S. government since the start of the war, many were enticed by President-elect Donald Trump’s approach to the war. Ringer said she has seen one of her friends be influenced by Trump’s approach to handling the war.
“One of my best friends has never considered voting Republican, but is interested in it on the basis that defunding our support for Ukraine could increase funding on the domestic front, helping with welfare, the immigration crisis, etc,” Ringer said before the November election.
Trump has said he would help Russia and Ukraine reach an agreement.
“We both want to see this end, and we both want to see a fair deal made,” Trump said. “It should stop and (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky) wants it to stop, and I’m sure President Putin wants it to stop and that’s a good combination.”
Ringer said she believes college students tend to support Ukraine but generally lack knowledge about the conflict, leading them to vote on other issues instead.
“I think most of who I interact with are supporters of Ukraine – for very minimal and unresearched reasons,” Ringer said. “If they were to further get into it, I think they would still support Ukraine, but they would have a better understanding of what specific policies could be put in place to help Ukraine.”
She also said she thinks many college students want domestic social issues to be addressed before foreign policy.
With the election now concluded, many Americans are left wondering what’s next for the war, particularly because it is uncertain what exactly Trump will do to end the war in Ukraine.
“It’s really unclear exactly what (Trump) would do or plans to do,” Sokhey said. “It’s just really hard to say because we don’t really have specifics about what the Trump administration would do.”
Overall, public interest in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has largely declined after three years.
“I think realistically, going into the third year of the war, it’s not shocking that public opinion and support is not as high as it was,” Sokhey said. “Who knows what the Trump administration will do, but there’s not going to be a swell of big public support for expanding aid to Ukraine.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Alyssa Bucaro at alyssa.bucaro@colorado.edu
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Wilson Georges at wilson.georges@colorado.edu
