First time voters cast ballots as Election Day approaches
A poll of 235 Clover Hill students show that 68.9% would vote for Biden, 27.7% would vote for Trump and 3.4% would vote for Jorgensen.
As the 2020 US presidential election approaches, registered students decide on which candidate to support and give their vote to.
Republican Party nominee and President Donald Trump and Democratic Party nominee and former Vice President Joseph (Joe) Biden Jr., along with the Libertarian Party’s Jo Jorgensen, will be on Virginia’s presidential ballot for the Nov. 3rd election. Each candidate has campaigned tirelessly over the past few months for citizens’ votes, including those from Chesterfield County and Clover Hill.
Most registered students turned to the presidential debates, one of the most well-known presidential campaign events, to stay informed on the candidates.
US Government Teacher Hunter Clark questions the utility of the debates this year.
“The first presidential debate this year was universally seen as being too much interrupting, too much bluster, too many name calls,” Clark said. “I don’t think people came away from that feeling more informed.”
Clark emphasized the importance of young voters researching their candidates as they form their opinion.
“You could go to the campaign websites to get their pitch, although it’s not unbiased,” Clark said. “There’s also one organization called Project VoteSmart. They post information from the candidates, their statements and their policy proposals, and I definitely encourage people to view regular news from, preferably, a variety of sources.”
Some registered students may consider not voting in the election due to a disdain for the candidates, a lack of impact in their vote, or for multiple other reasons. However, Clark emphasizes the importance of voting, recalling the democracy that the United States is built upon.
“All elections serve a basic purpose of keeping the government tied to the citizens,” Clark said. “It’s the whole idea of popular sovereignty: giving the people the ability to impact the direction of public policy. We need that sort of linkage between the people and the government.”
Registered students believe in the importance of voting in this election.
Senior Michael Van Tassell supports the President and plans on voting to reelect Donald Trump.
“I’ll be supporting him because regardless of the foolish things he says, when he takes action, he performs outstandingly well,” Van Tassell said. “You can find that Trump has cut regulation, appointed textualist judges, cut taxes, and raised the economy to heights not seen for half a century.”
While some students support the work that the president has done throughout his first term, others, like senior Jared Duffy, wish to see a more progressive candidate in office.
“I voted for Biden because of his policies and responsibility, in contrast to Trump,” Duffy said. “I believe strongly [in] LGBTQ+ [rights], regulation for the environment, police reform and universal healthcare.”
Registered voters can check their voter registration online. Polling places are open Tuesday from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and require a form of ID.
UPDATE:
Clover Hill Students and Teachers Exercise their Right to Vote! (video courtesy of Rebekah Amato)
News section editor and Clover Hill senior Keegan Miller has been with the Cavalier Chronicle since 2019. His experience working with the National History...
