Sides of the Spectrum

Economy, COVID-19, social injustice, foreign policies, climate, and much more will play a large role in the U.S. presidential election. With 2020 bringing plenty of foreign territory to the United States, could it mean a change for the presidential role to guide us through?

Joe Biden recently chose his running mate, Kamala Harris, to go up against the Republican Trump-Pence campaign. Biden officially accepted his nomination for Democratic presidential candidate back in mid-August.

Elkhorn High School Social Studies teacher JJ Zumbrennen expresses his interest in the election. “I’m very excited and very interested because in 2016 the election was unprecedented, and in 2020 I think it can be even crazier,” Zumbrennen said.

Voting holds a large importance for Zumbrennen and plays a large role in governmental decision making. “I feel like voting is an important responsibility we have. I mean how is the government supposed to make decisions if the people are not properly representing what they believe in,” Zumbrennen said.

In the past few elections, none has really been like the other in terms of how candidates advertise and promote their campaign. Donald Trump specifically has taken social media to a bigger stage when it comes to politics.

“If you look at Trump, his big thing is entertainment. With social media, it’s really big and he tries to right the wrongs of other sides’,” Zumbrennen said.

A big topic now that has come up specifically due to COVID is the mail-in ballot. With Donald Trump trying to crack down on the postal service, it poses a lot of debate and question.

“It’ll be interesting to see the turn out for mail ballots. I will be voting in person, but people might take advantage of the mail votes and hopefully it is used correctly and fairly,” Zumbrennen said.

With multiple different methods candidates will try to use to win the election, one important one will have to make up who they are to bring in the most votes. These candidates will need to have some main focuses to maintain or improve their status in the election.

“One thing Biden and Harris will have to do is get Biden out of isolation, which they have already started for his campaign trail. I think Harris needs to be more vocal because we have not seen much of her recently to influence people of the female and black community,” Zumbrennen said.

This year there may be some polls and charts that favor one candidate or the other, but does that really prove who will win this year’s election? “I don’t think there is clear cut evidence that a certain candidate is winning. The polling has shifted so dramatically that I don’t think that’s the case,” Zumbrennen said. 

Every student is getting closer and closer to the age to legally vote, which means they want to be more active as well in politics. Talks from student to student grow more as the dates come closer and closer to November third.

Sophomore Jack Kumagai thinks candidates need to be truthful in how they take this election. “I think candidates need to say what they will do and fulfill those promises,” Kumagai said.

Jack Kumagai has a strong belief in who he thinks will win the election this year. “Donald Trump will win this year’s election without question,” Kumagai said.

Another Sophomore, Dyllan Bertucci, added some comments on the election. “COVID will definitely play a big role in this election because it really changes the way in how people will vote.” Bertucci said.

Bertucci was unsure of how this election will turn out, giving no comment about his opinions. 

The United States election will once again serve much importance for the American people and potentially even the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic. November third will prove to be a night to remember for some, and a potential nightmare for others.

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