Who are JMU students actually voting for?
Are we allowed to write in the Duke dog as our vote?
With income inequality being the largest since 1928, a massive terrorist organization seeking world-domination, and racism, Islamophobia, misogyny, and every other -ism and -phobia one can think of plaguing our great nation, there is a lot at stake with the upcoming Presidential election. The future of our country will be in the hands of a new commander-in-chief this fall, and there are a lot of issues on the table. We need someone who will be able to take on all of them with precision, care, intelligence, and righteous judgement.
However, these are merely my views. Not all JMU students think alike, nor should they.
It is so important to have discussions with all different viewpoints, so we can create better solutions and have a better understanding of the needs and wants of this country. So we interviewed other JMU students on campus on what they care about as a first-time voter, and who they voted for:
Samantha Lane, 19
What issues do you care about?
Equal rights for LGBT+ people, women’s issues, race issues and family-oriented issues.
Who did you vote for?
Hillary Clinton
What is your reasoning?
“I voted for her because she has a lot of experience with people on these issues, and especially a lot of experience working with families who’ve been affected by poverty and racism. She’s the candidate that I look to when it comes to advocating these issues/problems. I’ve seen how she’s evolved in her belief systems and I’ve seen how she’s evolved in how she speaks to the public, and I like that. I feel like she’s the person who would get the most done, because she’s moderate and she will be able to work with people in a bi-partisan fashion. Her and Bernie are very similar when it comes to these issues, but when I look at her I see the next President. She’s tough, resilient, and I’m inspired by her.”
Mikaela Briones, 18
What issues do you care about?
Border security, healthcare, the second amendment, Israel/Palestine and national security.
Who did you vote for?
Ted Cruz
What is your reasoning?
“I don’t look at the the parties, I look at the person, and I saw I tended to agree more with the conservatives. Even though there are things about Cruz I don’t agree with, like marriage equality and keeping god in the social sphere, I’m willing to make sacrifices because of his economic standpoints (e.g. repealing Obamacare). I’m also a person who adheres more to the constitution and I agree with Cruz’s interpretation. I’m not extremely Republican, but I just think he’s the better candidate that would help this nation [the most]. All the candidates are pretty bad, but he’s the one I’m most willing to see as President.”
Harrison Naftel, 20
What issues do you care about?
The economy, defense and immigration.
Who did you vote for?
John Kasich
What is your reasoning?
“Kasich has the best record, he did well as governor of Ohio, he has a lot of experience (he was on the House Arms Services Committee and the Budget Committee). I like his immigration plan, its harsh but it’s not going to kick out everyone. [When it comes to ISIL], he wants to bring together the Arab countries, instead of just going in as the United States, which I agree with. I like his stances on some social issues, but my choice is more for economy than abortion. He talks about how we need to solve problems in our communities, instead of top-down approaches, which I like. [He stands out to me out of all the other candidates] because he isn’t a party puppet, he’s the one with experience, and actually wants to get stuff done [instead of doing things just for the party].”
Christian Faris, 19![]()
What issues do you care about?
Immigration, fiscal policy and gun control.
Who did you vote for?
Donald Trump
What is your reasoning?
“He’s different than the other politicians we’ve had, because he’s not a politician. There’s a metaphor I like to use when electing a President: there’s two dogs in the neighborhood you could pet – there’s the dog on the left who has bitten you before time and time again and you know they will again (that’s Hillary and Washington), then there’s the dog on the right that just barks, it’s never bitten you before and it’s given you no reason to know it’ll bite you (that’s Trump). I’d take the chance [on the right dog]. He’s such a successful businessman, he understands how economics and the world works. He’s one of America’s best negotiators, he literally wrote the ‘business-bible’, he’s not going to give you Washington’s slip of the answer and quote about the American dream, and will tell you what he wants to do.”
I, as a first-time voter, care about a large range of issues. I care about the unaccounted for police brutality that largely affects minority demographics. I care that people can still be fired for their sexual orientation/gender identity in more than half of our states. I care about the growing threats to women’s healthcare (as well as much of population’s lack of access to healthcare). I care about the fact one of the largest migrant crisis in modern history is happening right before our eyes and not enough is being done on our part. I care about how one in every five children in America are living in poverty, I care about how corporations and Wall Street are able to buy elections and have been irresponsible towards the American people. There is so much injustice, corruption,and irresponsibility in the world today, the list of problems are endless. I think it is an absolute embarrassment the United States has fallen behind in comparison to other industrialized nations in fighting the fight, and I am ready for a real change in direction.
That is why I voted for Bernie Sanders in the Virginia primary. I believe he is the only candidate who will: fight corporations and the corrupt billionaires to create a fair government and election process; fight for the rights of all the most vulnerable groups in this country; stop poor foreign policy that has defined the last few administrations; and bring us to the forefront of progress and fairness. He has the greatest civil rights record of any candidate and a stellar voting record while in Congress; he cannot be bought, and is not playing on the fears and emotions of people to turn this country onto itself. He is honest, reliable and a breath of fresh air.