Election season is in full swing, and many students are or soon will be eligible to vote in the general elections in November.
Senior Isabelle Cho, who is registered to vote, voted in the primary election on the presidential and Senate ballot, she said. She voted for President Joseph Biden, and would ultimately prefer him over former President Donald Trump, she added.
“I think Trump’s agenda is not really aligned with what I stand for,” Cho said. “I would not want someone who openly calls immigrants drug dealers or someone who openly disrespects women (as president). I don’t really agree with the majority of his policies as well.”
Even though Cho will vote for Biden in the general election, she would prefer having a new candidate altogether, she said.
“Biden is very moderate for a democratic candidate,” Cho said. “I think he is passing a lot more climate policies, whether it be enforcing plastic bans or reducing emissions or investing in green technology and investing in infrastructure, which I think is important because oil has finite resources that we can’t constantly be relying on. But I don’t think he’s perfect by any means at all.”
For the U.S. Senate ballot, Cho voted for Katie Porter because she felt her vote would make a larger impact, she said. While she would have preferred to vote for Barbara Lee, Lee had the smallest percentage of votes, she added.
“I think it’s a huge misconception when people believe that, just because you live in a blue state or a red state, your vote doesn’t count,” Cho said. “They don’t come out to vote, which is extremely frustrating because if enough people pull together, they could make a difference rather than accepting (that’s) how it’s always going to be.”
Cho’s family has different views when it comes to politics, so her ideas are often challenged when she engages in discussions with them, she said. She also talks about politics with her friends and has learned from the discussions, she added.
“We don’t agree on everything,” Cho said. “I think that’s also a beauty in itself. I would encourage everyone to vote in the upcoming election, even if they think their vote doesn’t count, and also to make sure to vote in the local elections as well.”
Junior Harish Manukonda can’t vote as an immigrant who is under his parents’ visa, and feels passionate about the green card system, he said.
“The visa system for getting a visa and then getting a green card in America is pretty flawed,” Manukonda said. “It’s just bad for me specifically. And there’s a per-country cap, so it’s separated based on your country of birth. It’s a lot harder for someone from India to get a visa from an employee employment-based visa.”
Senior Sean Sevilla, who is not yet of voting age, would prefer to vote for Biden, given how he is a Democrat and his views align with Biden’s policies, he said.
“Considering how I took (government) last year, I know how unfair voting is, especially with the electoral college because I know that votes from us only count towards other things on the ballot like senators,” Sevilla said.
Sevilla feels passionate about issues such as immigration and student debt, he said.
“As a senior, and knowing how much people have to pay just to go to college then taking student loans, and having to pay interest over the years and that just keeps piling on,” Sevilla said. “There are countries (where students) don’t even have to pay for college. I don’t understand why we have to pay so much money.”
Students share opinions on election issues, candidates
