The Student News Site of Mount Vernon High School

The Mustang Moon

The Student News Site of Mount Vernon High School

The Mustang Moon

The Student News Site of Mount Vernon High School

The Mustang Moon

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A Boundary-Breaking Election Comes to an End

By Alyssa Maddocks

They call her “Crooked Hillary.” They call him “dangerously unhinged.” They say that a vote for Gary Johnson is a wasted vote, because an independent candidate has no chance of winning. They look at the freshly printed ballots and ask, “who is Jill Stein, and what even is the Green Party?”

Chances are, these are terms and labels that we have each heard before—whether it was from the media magnifying various accusations about each candidate, the actual candidates treating each other like savages, or simply the humorous Saturday Night Live skits trying to make light of this demeaning, tiresome, and frankly… tragic election.

Seniors Nicole Binsfield and Hannah Moss pose with their "I voted" stickers.
Seniors Nicole Binsfield and Hannah Moss pose with their “I voted” stickers.

But what about what citizens think? Sure, we can watch the news, the panels, and the degrading commercials all day long, we can read and believe what all the journalists are saying, and we can even answer the phone countless times a day and listen to all the representatives fight for each candidate. But, why should we? Isn’t the point of every election to vote for what WE believe in? Regardless of the popular vote, regardless of the societal norm, regardless of what the media, the journalists, and the representatives say—shouldn’t we be bold in our beliefs and vote for the candidate that we think is best for our country? Why not vote for Crooked Hillary—after all, she is an experienced politician with a seemingly steady head on her shoulders. Or what about the “dangerously unhinged,” he’s a bold businessman, not a life-long, lying politician. Maybe we should vote for Gary Johnson, because even if he doesn’t have a plausible chance of winning, he may just be the best candidate. And let’s not forget about the barely-recognized Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who provides a new and unique outlook on the problems of our nation.

The point is, millions of voters walk through the streets with countless distinct, passionate, and understandable points of view regarding this election. And that is okay. Similarly, hundreds of students wander through the halls of Mount Vernon High School—and while the majority of them cannot vote, they hold valued opinions about the candidates.

A poll was sent out to the students of Mount Vernon High School, asking them who they would vote for. Getting a total of 62 responses, 19 percent would have voted for a third party candidate:  19 percent for Gary Johnson and no votes for Jill Stein. Senior Jack Young said he would vote for Johnson. “Gary Johnson is not corrupt, and he is not bigoted, which seem to be clear characteristics of the two major candidates,” said Young. “Ultimately, I have more confidence in him than Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton to run the federal government effectively, protect our constitutional rights, and lead our nation.”

 An anonymous student agrees, saying “I would vote for Johnson for two reasons: he’s not Trump, and he’s not Hillary.”

Junior Jack Streicher draws a political cartoon about Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
Junior Jack Streicher draws a political cartoon about Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

On the other hand, senior Ryan Williams admits that ideally, he would vote for Jill Stein. “She wants to preserve the environment and work to create clean energy all across the country. I wish that our country would become completely green in terms of energy and lower the amount of pollution that we create in the world. But, a vote for Jill Stein would take a vote away from Hillary Clinton, making it easier for Donald Trump to win,” said Williams. “So, I would vote for Clinton.”

Many students agree with Williams—a total of 44 percent would vote for candidate Hillary Clinton. Sophomore Emily Weary said that she would vote for Clinton, taking an educated stance by saying, “Hillary Clinton is very qualified to be president and has presented how she is going to make America a better place for everyone.”

Freshman Daniela Torres-Roe takes a bolder stance on the topic, saying that “Donald Trump has many issues that would get in the way of him being a sufficient leader for America. He’s sexist and racist, calling women pigs and calling all Mexicans ‘rapists.’ Coming from a rich Mexican heritage, this offends me along with many other Hispanics living in the U.S. He has no filter, and says whatever he wants, whether it be intelligent or even moral. While I don’t agree with Hillary on terms of abortion or gay marriage, she is much more qualified to be president and has many good qualities.”

The remaining 37 percent of votes went to President-elect Donald Trump. Sophomore Morgan Houghtaling said, “I chose Donald Trump because his biggest competitor, Hillary Clinton, is a complete liar, she’s corrupt and would only be another terrible four years of Obama. So nothing good comes out of voting for her. Trump has his flaws but at least he’s smart, will protect our country from terrorists, and will turn our national debt around.”

Senior Zach Krogmann takes a more general stance on the topic, saying that “Donald is going to make America great again.”

Sophomore Morgan Houghtaling sports her "Make America Great Again" shirt.
Sophomore Morgan Houghtaling sports her “Make America Great Again” shirt.

The opinions are vast at Mount Vernon High School, just like they are around our nation. The thing is, nobody could have predicted the outcome of the 2016 Presidential Election. Even the pollers predicted something very different because a large majority of Trump voters stayed silent because they were afraid of persecution. Whether we identify as a Democrat, a Republican, or an independent, we should never be afraid of sharing our opinions, passions, and beliefs. No matter what, we are called to be bold in our beliefs and vote for the candidate that we think will do the best job in office.

   While we all hold different views, we can unite over the fact that we are all equally valuable—our morals matter, our opinions matter, and our votes most definitely matter. After all, our country is built off of different belief systems—and if we let them, those belief systems can unite our nation in the most empowering way.

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