When you ask a teenager what their political views are, there is a large chance what they say is a regurgitation of what their parents believe. Any kid does this, due to their lack of knowledge about politics, however, I wanted to make sure that my first time voting in a general presidential election wasn't just 1) exactly what my parents voted for because I couldn't form my own opinion or 2) the "popular vote". Taking a government class my senior year of high school really helped me decipher the things I value in a presidential candidate
During the primaries, it was incredibly difficult to decide who to vote for, due to the very large number of candidates. We did extensive amounts of research in my government class, so by the time the voting came around, I felt pretty secure with my vote. I won't say who I voted for in the primaries, but I will say they did not make it to the general election, which was a large disappointment. One thing that was incredibly shocking to me was how some people don't have what I call "voting etiquette". To me, it is simple; you don't ask someone their age, you don't ask someone who they voted for. I was raised on the principle that who you vote for is a private subject. So when a younger girl in one of my classes asked me "So who did you vote for?", I was very shocked because I thought that it was common knowledge not to ask anyone that. I replied as kind as I could and just said it wasn't really her business.
But coming into this election in less than two months, I really am at a crossroads. I'll be honest in saying I'm not a huge fan of either presidential candidate. Sometimes while contemplating who to vote for, I ask myself which candidate will cause less damage. It's going to take more than just a rash decision, but I think I've known who I'll vote for since both nominees were placed in the general election.
It's difficult to figure out who is more trustworthy. One hand we have Hillary Clinton, who will never hear the end of the emails, and how she could've put our national security at risk. In addition, you have the Benghazi attacks, where she took responsibility for not adequately protecting U.S. personnel there. On the other hand, we have Donald Trump, who plans to build a wall on the border of the United States and Mexico to keep any further immigrants out. While immigration is one of his huge points, he also has a somewhat ambiguous plan for fiscal policy, wanting to cut federal taxes, but also enhance our armed forces and infrastructure.
Both candidates do have positive things about them, but it is really comes down to who will get more good accomplished for our country, in domestic and foreign policy, who will effectively guide our nation's economy through its highs and lows, and who can regulate all of the many social issues affecting our society, such as gender equality, health care, environment and climate change, and education. These few things are not all it takes to be a quality president, and if we are being honest, I don't think any 18-year-old voting in their first election truly knows what it means to be a quality president.
But I will tell you I will definitely not be taking a "Who should you vote for in the 2016 Presidential Election" quiz to help make up my mind. And I definitely think everyone should still fulfill their duty as a citizen of this country and vote on November 8th. But how will you make up your mind?
Who will it be?
