Megan Hazuga-
The 2016 election is reaching its end. In just about two months, voters everywhere will be rushing to the polls and casting their votes on who they believe should be the next President of the United States. The primary candidates include Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee, Donald Trump for the Republicans, New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson for the Libertarians and Jill Stein for the Green Party. The election has already had an enormous impact on the country and caused quite the divide between voters, primarily between Democrats and Republicans.
CNN reported that nearly half of the voters have stated they are not excited about voting this election. The general consensus is that neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton is preferred, yet Johnson only has a voter approval rating of 7%, and Stein is only at 2%.
Jessie Fleming, a sophomore here at Stout who is majoring in Hospitality, gave her views on how she is perceiving this election.
“It’s alarming how few people actually care, or how many people are unwilling to vote because they say ‘my vote doesn’t matter,’ but so many of them are saying this and their vote DOES matter. There’s also a big portion of people that will still vote but don’t actually care who they’re voting for, so either way there’s not a lot of thought going into it.”
Jessie said she does plan on voting this year, even if it’s a lot of work.
As it currently stands, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are neck-in-neck in the race. No two sources have the same numbers as it is so close. Both are around a 40% approval rating, with the exact numbers varying based on which source you consult. However, The New York Times reported that Hillary Clinton has an 81% chance of winning the election, based on the statewide and national polls they run frequently.
Either way, the stakes are high. All of the candidates are fighting for voters to choose them, and at this point it could go either way. It’s extremely important that people are voting this year, even if it’s a tough decision for many.
You can even vote and register here at school. Tuesday, November 8 is the day, so be sure to partake in an event that will affect your country.