In addition to voting in the presidential elections, NYU students also have a unique opportunity on Nov. 8 — a chance to vote in the local election.

With the media focusing so heavily on the campaigns of Clinton and Trump many in the electorate have all but forgotten about the others on the ballot. In addition to the presidency, many other positions on the federal, state and local levels are up for grabs.

Many NYU students hail from outside New York, such as Tisch senior Andrew Nelson from California. His home state is voting on legalizing marijuana. He said students aren’t completely up to speed on local politics ahead of the elections, even if they acknowledge the importance of the results.

“Though I never do watch local news stations, I know local elections are actually more important than presidential in many ways,” Nelson said. “They aren’t as fun to talk about.”

LS sophomore Lauren Spraggins, a Texas native, agreed that they have been largely eclipsed by the presidential race.

“I think it has definitely overshadowed local elections because of the whole Democrats versus Republicans thing, like no one cares about the actual issues and what the candidates are saying,” Spraggins said. “I feel like many local elections are also seen that way, Republican versus Democrat, and nothing else even matters.”

Students such as LS sophomore and Maryland native Alex Muhawi-Ho are less inclined to vote because they have less free time to devote to politics.

“Unfortunately, I don’t keep up with my local politics as much as I would like to, but considering the current election, I’m realizing how important it is to know the people who are shaping the political sphere around you,” Muhawi-Ho said.

Many students cited a lack of coverage and information about local candidates amidst the focus on the presidential campaign. While college students especially can find it hard to make time to research lesser-known candidates, there are plenty of options to simplify the process.

Email Téa Kvetenadze at [email protected].