With the United States presidential election coming up on Tuesday, Nov. 3, many students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have formed opinions on which candidate they support. While some endorse current President Donald Trump and others back former Vice President Joseph “Joe” Biden, some believe the outcome won’t affect them at all.
For a group of MSD students, the 2020 election serves as a time to see if the new presidential candidate will keep their word on policies if elected into office.
“[Hopefully the] new candidate can back what he says he is going to do,” sophomore Kamilah Rincon said. “For example, tackling the challenges we face with the coronavirus, doing something about racial inequality and restoring environmental protections that will aid in the fight [against] global warming.”
Many MSD students are ready for a fresh start after four years of having Trump in office and are curious to see what would change if Biden were to be elected.
Students also say it is time for America to become unified again, and close up some of the extreme division from the past few months. With Black Lives Matter and All Lives Matter being protested across the country recently, America has been more divided than ever before.
“To me, the 2020 election means a fresh start [and] a chance to get the country together again,” sophomore Taylor-Rose Lowe said.
With many current and important issues going on in America such as racial injustice, gun violence and the refugee crisis, the upcoming election could change a lot of things for the future of this country. Problems in America are piling up and this election can be a chance to lessen or even resolve these issues.
Moreover, some MSD students say that the individual who gets elected as president this year can influence who they vote for in the future. This can be a good or a bad thing depending on whether or not they like the candidate, no matter what their political views are.
Despite some students being avid Trump or Biden supporters, there are also a lot of students who have no opinion on the election.
“I watched the debates as much as I could to see both of [Biden and Trump’s] points of views on things,” sophomore David Elias said. “This election won’t affect my life yet, but it still means a lot to me who wins for other lives out there.”
Certain students at MSD don’t believe that the election will greatly impact them, but feel it is more important when it comes to people of color and minority groups in America.
“Our current president hasn’t done much for people of color during his first term of presidency in my opinion,” sophomore Johnson Lei said.
With unarmed men and women of color being killed by police and not getting the justice they deserve, many have blamed the current administration for creating an environment where their deaths were seen as justifiable.
With the Black Lives Matter movement in full effect, students did not like the president’s thoughts on the movement when he tweeted it was a “symbol of hate” after “Black Lives Matter” was painted on the road in front of Trump Tower in New York City.
Students, especially on social media, have encouraged others to register to vote, head to the polls or send in a ballot before Election Day.
With the presidential election around the corner, the importance of voting has been increasingly stressed on the American people. Even though students at MSD have different views and opinions on what this election means to them, they encourage others to vote.
