This Presidential Election was my first time being able to cast my vote. I have been so excited and have spent many years awaiting for my chance to cast a ballot and do my civil duty as an American citizen. As someone who truly loves history, this election has been a very interesting one for me to watch play out. A well-educated politician versus a real-estate tycoon? The first potential president with no military or political experience? Missing e-mails and a personal server? This was all a lot for me to think about in my 18 year old brain.
I watched every debate. I researched every candidate. Before the nominations, I took a close look at Bernie Sanders, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, and of course Trump and Clinton. After the nominations, it was clear that either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump would be our next President. Surprised doesn't even begin to explain it, I knew Clinton had a pretty decent chance against Sanders despite a wealth of young supporters that he endured. I looked at the GOP and thought, maybe Rubio, maybe Cruz, but Trump against career politicians seemed pretty dicey.
Both Clinton and Trump rose against their party rivals. Before my eyes, I watched my friends, the internet, and the country divide into wanting to #MakeAmericanGreatAgain or saying #ImWithHer. Everyone and their dog were fiercely on one side or the other. Days before the election, it seemed that Clinton would take the cake. Almost every national poll put her ahead of Trump. On election night, it would come down to a few key battleground states that would tell who would be the next President of the United States.
On Election Day, I was so excited that I practically could not contain it. After work I raced to my local voting location and casted my first ballot ever. That night, I went home and watched the news coverage of the election. Again, I am a junkie for this type of stuff, so I had mapped out who I thought would win each state. I sat back and watched my fellow American's put in their votes. I awaited for the polls to close in the swing states and to hear what the experts were predicting about the election.
At some point, I fell asleep waiting to see the results from each state. I woke up around 1a.m. to the final hour or so of the election. I watched the electoral college, the popular vote, and states turning red or blue. At one point it seemed almost certain that Trump was going to win. Suddenly, Podesta, chairman of the Clinton campaign, went on stage to announce that Hillary would not be making an appearance. While this seemed strange to me, it was only minutes until Hillary conceded and Trump was making way for his victory speech somewhere around 3a.m.
Undoubtedly, this first election that I could participate in was a riveting experience to say the least. While I'm not going to get into my personal views, I do believe in America, in Democracy, and in my fellow citizens. I believe that Trump deserves every opportunity to be a successful president, and I believe that Hillary had an amazing political career, and has paved the way for women in politics.
All in all, I am proud to say that I am an American, and that every year, not just during Presidential elections, we have a choice in who will run our government at the local, state, and federal levels.
