BUENOS AIRES — It is election season in the United States. The news channels follow every step and misstep of the candidates, and the national maps are colored red and blue. Gov. Mitt Romney and President Obama squared off on issues of domestic and foreign policy in debates — and here in Buenos Aires, foreign politics are not so distant.

At NYU Buenos Aires, students have geared up for the election with absentee ballots and Internet research. Although students abroad cannot participate in the pre-election campaigning, they have watched the debates from afar. The debates were shown in a few bars around Buenos Aires and were streamed online. Some even crowded into a packed bar rented by the U.S. Embassy to watch the debate live.

Conversation at the bar was full of American accents and bipartisian-themed drinks, but GLS junior Allie Horwitz felt there was not enough of a mix of perspectives.

“There was no range of ideas within the crowd because the vast majority of people supported one candidate, which was incredibly uncomfortable for me,” Horwitz said.

Other students, including CAS senior Carmen Surana, watched the debates in their homestays.

“I felt a little removed from the situation, especially being in such a political city as Buenos Aires,” Surana said. “Watching the Twitter feeds explode with anger or mockery, I felt like our reactions to the debates were handled much differently than here in Buenos Aires.”

While Surana said she felt the immense presence of Twitter and the Internet in the debate, CAS junior Zach Gray said he preferred to watch the debate at home, remarking that the mood surrounding the debates in Buenos Aires was different.

“[The debates] seemed more important at home, maybe because it seemed more out of my way, like I was clearing time out of my schedule to watch it by my lonesome,” Gray said.

Despite the Internet connection, some students, like Horwitz, said the distance hinders their engagement with various issues and have abstained from voting.

“I felt that spending the last three months before the election abroad would disconnect me too much from the issues and the election itself,” she said. “Everyone I have come into contact has been leaning heavily towards one particular side. I feel … I can’t get the whole story.”

Gallatin junior Sinead Day seemed to agree with the feelings of detachment from the decision-making process.

“Here the election seems like a hypothetical,” Day said. “I try to remain engaged, but it also feels frustrating because the election itself is so frustrating.”

Being far away from home have incited an opposite reaction in some students. Gallatin junior Laura Hopkins said she feels more involved in Buenos Aires. Over the course of the semester, Argentina has seen protests all across the country, especially in the city.

“In Argentina, everyone is involved in politics, everyone has an opinion,” Hopkins said. “People realize it’s importance and are effortlessly educated, and it is super inspiring.”

Haley Houseman is a foreign correspondent. Email her at [email protected].