Reminiscing on the last election in 2016, the Republican party candidate was Donald Trump, who won Pennsylvania by 44,292 votes out of more than 6,000,000 cast. This was a difference of 0.72% and the narrowest margin in a presidential election for the state in 176 years. 

With the 2020 election just around the corner, PA takes center stage as a swing state that could ultimately decide our next president. Joe Biden represents the democratic party and Donald Trump, the republican party. Joe Biden and Donald Trump both aim to secure rare groups of voters, predominantly young people. Hampton in many ways represents the divisive nature of this election, so I took a firsthand look at how HHS students feel about this historic event. 

Looking at a poll conducted on Hamptonian’s Twitter can give us a small glimpse into how students and a number of young voters in Hampton feel. A total of 168 people voted, and the poll was open over the course of a week. The final results were: 53% Biden, 38% Trump, and 9% favoring a 3rd party candidate. This in many ways portrays the way Pennsylvania is expected to vote in 2020, with The Economist’s prediction as of today being that Biden will lead with 53.5% and Trump will follow with a close 46.5%. The younger generation is predicted to sway slightly more left politically with issues like climate change, student debt, racial inequality, and response to Covid-19 being main concerns. Older voters are shown to care more about the economy, social security, and healthcare.

I wanted to dive into how students personally feel about their future, and our next president, so I interviewed two HHS students on opposite ends of the spectrum. The questions are as unbiased as possible in order to add authenticity.

Ksenia Suddeth (HHS Senior, and supporter of Joe Biden this election)

How do you feel about the upcoming election?

K: “This is a very important election when you consider our two candidates. They are both very different and have pretty different ideas on what is best for our country. It is obvious that this year the country has been greatly divided. Whatever the results of this election could make or break the country.” 

Why do you support Biden? Is there a certain policy or stance of his you like?

K: “I support Biden this election because of a number of his policies and the groups of people he supports. Biden is in big support in creating a better environment and will work on policies to do that. Both candidates want to lower medicine prices and healthcare premiums, however, Biden also wants to create the option of a government run plan.”

How do you feel President Trump has run the country the past four years?

K: “If you ignore the pandemic there is no denying that Trump was able to boost our economy, however, with Trump in office there has been a constant divide among the people because of his lack of support of groups like the LGBTQ+ community. Another thing that has turned me away from Trump, just recently, has been his blatant lack of respect for POC.”

Do you think Covid- 19 will affect the election?

K: “I would say yes because as the pandemic continues and the more people are affected by the more people would begin to lean towards the candidate they believe could create a better plan to fix things. Most Trump supporters do not believe in Covid or do not believe the effects are as bad as specialists say but if they are personally affected by it they might switch their support to Biden, who has been more on the side of the doctors.”

How do you think PA’s vote will impact the results?

K: “PA is a swing state and just like in the 2016 election its vote will be just as important. Depending on how some of the other swing states vote, could mean whatever candidate wins in Pennsylvania could be the deciding factor of the outcome.”

Alex Haas (HHS Junior, and supporter of Donald Trump this election)

How do you feel about the upcoming election?

A: “I am excited for the election. I know this election will decide the future of our country.”

Why do you support Trump? Is there a certain policy or stance of his you like?

A: “I support Trump because he has brought our nation a period of economic greatness never before seen. He has cut taxes across the board opening up job opportunities with higher income rates than previous due to the tax cuts. On top of this we have become energy dependent which has helped our country to become a superpower with no reliance on the rest of the world. On top of this he supports fracking and the oil industry which has a massive part of our economy and our country’s livelihood.”

How do you feel President Trump has run the country the past four years?

A: “I have felt that he has run the country phenomenally over the past four years. He has consistently helped the average American household financially. He has also taken us out of wars overseas that were pointless and were simply killing our men.”

Do you think Covid- 19 will affect the election?

A: “Covid will definitely impact the election. It will lead to the use of mail in ballots and we have concerns about them as there have been numerous destroyed and missing ballots within the state of PA alone.”

How do you think PA’s vote will impact the results?
A: “PA will be a deciding factor as we are historically an important swing state. I think Trump will win simply because of the 100 thousand fracking jobs within the state and the amount of people that rely upon natural gases and oil.”

HHS students, make sure our voices are heard this election, because too often high school and college students don’t show up to the polls. Don’t be a bystander while history happens right in front of you. If you’re 18 and have the ability to participate in voting, use it to voice your opinion. And if you’re a student wondering how you can get involved, go check out Megan Kang’s article “Political Involvement: Why It’s Important and How to Get Involved” on the Hamptonian website for more information on what you can do to make an impact this election.