Are You Voting?

by Alex Shaffer, Editor in Chief
November 5, 2018

Are you voting?

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Voting can make a difference. Students around the school chime in on whether or not they will be voting.

    Some students and faculty members talk about proposition 5A and 5B along with other topics that they feel strongly about.

    Security Guard Tom Sager did not vote in 1976 when he turned 18 because he was a Canadian citizen with permanent residency in America.

    “I am the least political person,” Sager said. “I think the process here is just so long, complicated, and drawn out. They could simplify matters tremendously and they might get a better turn out,” he said.

    Sager talks about loving America, but not voting.

    “Voting for me just isn’t happening, but I love America,” Sager said. “I hope a lot of people come out and vote [to] help the poles. I’ve ignored every political commercial, but I think the teachers need to get paid,” he said. “I think the teachers need to be able to afford to live in the communities in which they teach.”

    A freshman and Junior share their opinions on proposition 5A & B.       

    “Voting means that you can legally choose what you want in your state,” Tyler Caughlin ‘22 said. “If I were old enough I would be voting tomorrow because it gives you a choice and like [that] it helps you choose what you want in your state and country,” he said.

    Caughlin had one last thing to say.

    “Vote for 5A and 5B,” Caughlin said.

    “I don’t know much about [voting],” Hannah Stephenson ‘20 said. “Both of my parents are English and they’re not American citizens so I haven’t had any experience with it. I know that [voting] is our chance to have a say in what goes on in the government because we normally don’t, I feel like it is important,” Stephenson said.

    She goes on to talk about what she would be voting for in tomorrow’s poles.

    “If I was old enough I probably would [vote] because you don’t normally get a lot of chances to have any impact on what goes on in your community, not really, not government wise, so this is like that chance to do that,” she said. “I feel like we need more funding in the school for teachers because it’s such a hard job to do and they don’t get paid enough for it.”

    Others talk about how voting can make a difference.

    “Voting is the right to be able to decide what you want…,” Rachel Mullins ‘21 said. “It’s cool to vote. [If I were old enough to vote tomorrow I would] probably vote because it makes a difference,” Mullins said.

    Another sophomore has the same ideas as Mullins.

    “Voting means that I can have the freedom to decide who gets to run things,” Mackenzie Ekenber ‘21 said. “[If I were old enough to vote tomorrow I would] because you can make a big difference.”

    Two Seniors explain that they don’t think their vote is important, but one feels that more people should take voting seriously.

    “Voting doesn’t really mean anything to me,” Priscila Vargas ‘19 said. “I feel like one vote is not going to do anything. I won’t be voting tomorrow because it’s just too late. I didn’t figure any of the stuff out,” Vargas said.

    “I don’t really care that much about it,” Avery Wathen ‘19 said.

    Wathen later said she should care more about voting.

    “It should be something taken more seriously because it’s something that will affect us all,” she said. “I would be voting tomorrow because everyone’s been telling us that we need to and that’s important too.”

    One senior has already voted and would like to bring attention to proposition 112.

    “I just turned 18 on November 3,” Kevin Pipich ‘19 said. “I just think it’s an awesome thing to do because we as Americans, that’s the one thing we have to control of, how we see the country going, and that’s really cool that we can do that,” he said. “Voting is kind of what made our country so prominent and such a great place to live in because everyone has equal say in how we see our country going.”

    Pipich already voted and explains how 112 affected him personally.

    “I already voted with early voting and mailed in my ballot this morning, I’d like to see the country go in the way that I think is best for everyone,” Pipich said. “I think there were a lot of important issues, I was personally invested in Proposition 112, which is the fracking move it back 2500 feet just because there was a well that was built behind my house and that kind of intruded into my space so I would like to see that change.”

    Whether or not you vote is a personal decision that American citizens have the right to choose, but the main takeaway is that you can make a difference with one simple task.