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As Election Day on Nov. 4 draws near, it’s vital that both Syracuse University students and residents keep national issues in mind when heading to the polls. It’s a common misconception that our local representatives and legislators aren’t able to push back on federal policy, but there are multiple avenues to challenge these laws, and your vote can ensure they do.

Local politics are centered around the citizens’ needs: our legislators take our opinions and voices into account. We should use them as a resource to fight predatory documents such as Project 2025, authored by much of President Donald Trump’s current staff, especially as it nears the halfway mark of completion.

During Trump’s second presidential debate of 2024, he claimed to have “nothing to do with Project 2025,” a recurring sentiment throughout his campaign. He even said that some of the proposals in it were “ridiculous and abysmal.”

But these statements would be heavily contradicted in the first months of his presidency. Trump wasted no time and swiftly implemented changes with Project 2025 in mind, with policies meant to restrict the idea that there are more than two genders and suspension to USRAP being carried out the day he was sworn in.

Whether its effects are tangible yet or not, Project 2025 affects so many communities nationwide. With over three years remaining in his presidency, Trump will almost certainly push through many more of the proposed policies included in the document, and participation in local politics is our primary weapon against this.

As a student and someone who hopes for higher education to become accessible as well as proficient, the proposed changes to financial aid and college accreditation are worrying.

In an attempt to further the inaccessibility of higher education, Project 2025 seeks to gut financial aid and privatize lending programs. Eliminating federal loans will leave students swimming in debt, with many private loans not offering Income-Driven-Repayment Plans. As interest rates continue to soar, students will be left with horrible credit and lasting economic instability.

Project 2025 doesn’t just go after current students, though. The document aims to “terminate” The Public Service Loan forgiveness program. This would prevent more than 35,000 public service workers from receiving that aid, furthering the growing consumer debt crisis in America.

University enrollment has been on the decline in recent years, with a 15% drop between 2010 and 2021. Cuts in financial aid and loan forgiveness will only exacerbate this issue. Additionally, cities like Syracuse are extremely dependent on institutions. SU is the second biggest employer in Onondaga County alone.

Even proper acknowledgment of higher education is under attack. Project 2025 aims to restrict accreditors by allowing states to “authorize accrediting agencies and serve as accreditors themselves,” ultimately allowing the states to politically pollute certification.

Sophia Burke | Digital Design Director

Many even believe the accreditation system is “rigged” or “politically charged,” a sentiment furthered by Trump’s announcement that the “time has come to reclaim our once great educational institutions from the radical Left.”
Without any pushback, these policies will worsen the quality and accessibility of higher education, reserving it for the ultra-wealthy, and its content will become increasingly biased.

Trump’s adoption of Project 2025 will prove to be catastrophic to everyone but the deep-pocketed ruling class, keeping lower-class citizens lower-class while uplifting the 1%. But neither we as students and residents nor our representatives are powerless.

During the 2025 mayoral primary in New York City, a historic 29.9% of registered voters participated. This shows a positive trend in voter turnout for local elections which have historically seen lower participation. For comparison, over 60% of registered voters cast a ballot during the 2024 presidential election, far outweighing the local primary.

Even though national elections steal the spotlight, we still need to keep a focus on local politics. They affect the things we use every day, and our roads, police forces and schools would be in shambles without them.

When you cast your vote on Tuesday, think back to what’s happening in this country. Vote with not only your beliefs, personal needs and opinions on what’s happening nationally, but also with those of others. Our representatives can challenge these policies in court and lobby for the reform where they see fit. Regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum, voting is one of the most important contributions you can make to the betterment of this country.

James Reed is a freshman studying political science. He can be reached at jcreed@syr.edu.

Published on November 2, 2025 at 11:22 pm