College students look at Election 2020

Election Day is almost here and journalism students at Texas A&M University in College Station looked around to get a feel for how this contentious election is affecting their community. These vignettes show people weighing the importance of their vote and often, the feelings that arise when you make an important choice.

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Awkward silence fills the room as the family dinner turns political. Food is pushed around the plates as everyone desperately tries to find a way to break the ice and change the subject. During the presidential election period, there are many different views and opinions on politics between states, counties and even families. As children get older, they discover their own beliefs that may contradict their parents’.

When enthusiastically Republican parents learned their daughter, Cameryn Sebastian, registered as a Democrat, they had mixed feelings.

“It was really awkward the first time they found out,” Sebastian said. “They seemed really disapproving, but the more I looked into politics the more I realized my views didn’t line up with theirs.”

The tension that comes with unaligned political views is common in many households with Generation Z children. Now that this current generation is old enough to vote, many of-age voters are finding their voice and researching their opinions.

“I grew up believing Republican views because that’s all I knew,” Sebastian said. “When I was close to being able to register to vote, I thought maybe I should look into it before I make a decision.”

It can be frustrating for young adults to be shot down by their elders when it comes to their political beliefs. Many keep their opinions to themselves because their parents are against their children supporting the opposing party.

“I can hardly talk about politics with my parents because it usually just turns into an argument,” Sebastian said. “The only people who are open to talk about it with me are my sisters and friends. But I know that I should stand up for what I believe in, even if it makes my parents mad. In the end it’s my vote, not theirs.”

By Cori Eckert

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After her business closed for six weeks during quarantine, Nikole Brown is more ready than ever to vote in the upcoming 2020 presidential election between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Brown has owned Pretty Little Things Boutique for the past 10 years and never closed one day, then came quarantine which impacted her business tremendously.

“When I got the news that I had to temporarily close my store I was devastated.” Brown said. “This store is my pride and joy. It’s my livelihood.”

PLT boutique got creative and made an online shopping option while its in-person store was closed. Although this online feature helped with a small amount of sales, it was hard to get people to buy anything during that period. Everyone was going through a hard time and not many people had the extra spending money to buy from small businesses.

“My sales reports were the lowest they have ever been since I opened the store. This impacted my business, myself and my employees.” Brown said.

After hearing both candidates’ plans to fix the economy during the COVID-19 crisis, Brown feels that the outcome of this particular election has the potential to put her business in jeopardy. Brown is casting her vote on November 3 for the candidate she feels will benefit the economy and small businesses the most.

“My business is my top priority when it comes to how I chose to vote this year. I have to be able to provide for myself and my newborn son,” Brown said. “I feel like I have never been more anxious about an election in my entire life.”

By Emily Chauncey

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It is October 23. Mary Knapton leaves the Dallas County courthouse, and immediately pulls her cell phone from her pocket. She lowers her face mask, exposing a soft smile, and raises her phone to take a selfie. She holds up her election sticker simultaneously, and takes the picture, almost instinctively. She posts it to her Instagram story with confidence.

This is America in 2020. And this is how Knapton is engaging with politics.

Knapton grew up in a divided home. Her father is a staunch Republican; her mother is a Democrat. Her parents’ incessant political disputes became a staple in the family home. As a child, she watched their political rivalry derail their marriage. As an adult, she aims to promote political dialogue without sparking heated controversy.

Today, Knapton is eager to share that she voted on her Instagram story. Her upbringing conditioned her to hate politics, but she rejects the notion that openly discussing the election should be discouraged.

The post will have a shelf life of 24 hours. She believes that is long enough for the post to gain serious traction.

Knapton has 1,724 followers on Instagram. That’s 1,724 people that might know she voted. According to Knapton’s logic, that’s 1,724 people that might be reminded they should vote too.

Her post is not polarizing. Her post is not inflammatory. Her post is a simple symbol that she is alert to the nation’s changes. And by creating the post, she hopes to remind her followers that they should be alert too.

When asked about her decision to post the image of her election sticker to her story, Knapton was confident.

“I am extremely passionate about encouraging eligible voters, especially young voters, to exercise their right during the U.S. presidential election. By sharing my story that I had voted, I hope to put the thought, ‘Hey, maybe I should look into that soon,’ into at least some of my followers’ minds,” she said.

Through her post, Knapton aims to promote a meaningful conversation about the nation’s future. This conversation has a simple starting point: a sticker with the words, “I voted.”

By Berkley Powell

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More than 9 million Texans have cast their vote during the early voting period that ran from October 13 to October 30. People are passionate to get to the polls this election season because of their beliefs and what they feel is at stake for the country. College students at Texas A&M, however, tell me that their extreme fervor in voting this year is because of their families.

A week before the early voting period is over, Dylan Unger, a senior at Texas A&M, cast in his ballot.

“I did this to help my family,” Unger said. “There isn’t much in my life that will change since I am not really in the workforce yet.”

According to Unger, most of the people he surrounds himself with are voting with the same intent. He sees enough politics on Twitter, Instagram, and news sources on TV to know that the world is divided, and he believes there really isn’t a candidate that will solve that.

“I’m voting for the sake of my family and their hard-earned money, because I know what it took for them to get there,” Unger said.

On October 30, Logan Jobe, a senior at Texas A&M, shared the same intentions as Unger, and voted on campus with her roommates. Excited to vote for the first time, Jobe got dressed up with her mask on to go to the voting center and took a selfie with her “I voted” sticker to post on social media.

“At this point, you have to vote for whoever benefits you, or your loved ones. And unfortunately, I don’t agree with who helps my loved ones, but I had to push those views aside for them,” she said.

Both Unger and Jobe called their families to let them know they voted with them in mind.

“They were just proud of me for getting out and voting,” Unger said. As for Jobe, her parents couldn’t have been happier with her decision.

By Halle Rossi

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To be 18 is all some high schoolers want, primarily to vote in this presidential election. But what does one do when they are not old enough to vote?

High school senior Ivanna Alvarez won’t be 18 in time for election day. However, she believes it is her civic duty to volunteer somehow during the election.

She chose to volunteer as a poll worker. She walked into Calallen Magee Elementary in Corpus Christi, Texas, at 7 a.m. to help set up the polling location. Of the five poll workers at the Magee polling location on Monday, Oct. 26, Ivanna was the only volunteer under 65.

“This experience allowed me to see firsthand how the poll and voting system works,” Alvarez said. “It also allowed me to be involved in my community.”

Volunteer poll workers are a necessity at the moment since there is an election worker shortage because many workers are older than 60. Election workers are high-risk and do not feel safe working at poll sites because of the coronavirus.

The voting process for the 2020 presidential election differs from previous years due to COVID-19. Social distancing has not been a factor in setting up polling booths and check-in areas until this year. No other year has voters, and poll workers had to wear a face mask in the building. However, when a citizen is in a voting booth, they are not required to wear their mask.

Voters are required to use cotton balls to select the ballot rather than their fingers. Sanitation wipes are essential when cleaning all surfaces in the polling booths between people. The elementary school smells more like an emergency room than a school from the constant use of Clorox wipes.

Throughout the day, 150 people walked into the polling location Ivanna was volunteering at; they voted for the candidates they want in office and walked out of the building.

“The day I worked was very slow,” Alvarez said. “I would love to volunteer on Election Day so that I can experience a busy day.”

Alvarez kept her mask on all day, while the four older ladies sometimes brought theirs down below their noses. All the workers wore gloves when they were checking voters’ IDs and inputting information.

Alvarez greeted voters as they walked through the doors. She sat behind a desk and checked-in voters and assisted voters with the process. Most importantly, given the current circumstances, she sanitized everything the voters touched before the next voters’ turn.

Before she left at 7 p.m., she made sure all of the votes were submitted. Twelve hours later, Alvarez had finished volunteering at the polling location. She won’ forget the poll working experience and looks forward to voting when she is 18.

“I enjoyed my time working with other poll workers, and I hope I will have the opportunity to work at the next election,” Alvarez said.

By Brittany Hayden

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Driving back to his desolate town of 2,000, senior Matt Johnson realized he wasn’t registered to vote in College Station but rather his hometown of Dripping Springs, Texas. Starting up his Tahoe after his internship ended for the week, he left to start the two-hour trek back to the Austin area.

Two hours away, Johnson stood in line for an hour to vote early in a run-down Baptist church. With porous ceilings and industrial lighting, the church was the last place Johnson wanted to be on a Saturday morning.

“Driving back home wasn’t my plan, but I didn’t register for an absentee ballot,” Johnson said. “I can blame myself for it, but there should be an easier way to vote with a pandemic and being a college student living away from home.”

The church, set up on a major highway, had a line out of the door on Saturday morning. With no mask-required policy and the leaking ceiling, Johnson was not only dodging COVID-19 but also water from the ceiling above.

“I had warm water hitting my head and face every couple minutes, not to mention the dank smell of something mildewing,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s list of voting locations in Hays County included a rodeo arena, the local precinct, and the church.

“Early voting comes at a cost, especially for students who are registered in their hometown,” Johnson said. “Voting for the first time in high school made sense because I was still home. At this point in time it was just a chore.”

Johnson was intimidated by the lack of maintenance and upkeep of the church.

“I don’t want to sound rude, but if you’re going to have hundreds of people voting at a specific location, you should try to maximize your upkeep of the building,” Johnson said.

By Collin Koenig

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It was already a busy week for Texas A&M senior Katy Weatherly. Two tests, two quizzes and who knows how many assignments waited for her in College Station. But what mattered most for her in that moment was the long drive home to Dallas to vote in her first presidential election.

Although College Station has been her home for the last four years, Weatherly is still only registered to vote in her hometown of Dallas. For her, that means picking up in the middle of a busy week and making the two hour and 46-minute drive home to ensure that her vote counts.

Weatherly said had it not been such an important election, she might not have decided to go out of her way to make it to the polls.

“I’ve voted in my local elections before but that was because I just so happened to be at home,” Weatherly said. “If this wasn’t a presidential election, and a really important one at that, I definitely didn’t see myself making the drive back. It sounds awful I know, but as a college student finishing her last year, in my mind I’ve got graduation to worry about and what comes after that.”

As late October typically brings more academic stress, Weatherly said making the drive was something she didn’t mind doing to get a break from it all.

“Recently, I really just felt like I had things piling up on me,” Weatherly said. “So making that almost three-hour drive home is somewhat peaceful for me. It really gave me a chance to think about something other than everything in my ‘to-do’ pile.”

Seeing the smiles on her family’s faces when she pulled up to her childhood home and her dogs’ wagging tails is what Weatherly identified as ‘worth it.’

“Just seeing how happy everyone was to see me — that is why I don’t mind making the drive,” Weatherly said. “I get a break from school, I get to see all the people I love, and my voice is heard. That is well worth the three-hour drive for me.”

by Shelby McVey

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When sociology freshman Kaylee Drake walked into the MSC to vote for the first time, she knew exactly what boxes she planned to check. She stood in line, anxiously awaiting her turn to cast her ballot at the electronic voting stations. Less than an hour later, with no hesitation, Drake selected a candidate no one thinks will win, but leaves her confident that she voted with the country’s best interests at heart.

“I am choosing to vote for Jo Jorgensen because I agree with her policies and because I do not feel that the Republican or Democratic candidates are fit for office,” Drake said.

Prior to voting, Drake struggled to decide whether to vote for the lesser of two evils or pick the person she truly believes will make a positive change in America. She stayed up late at night, fighting back and forth in her mind until she made up her mind to vote from her heart and choose Jorgensen, the Libertarian candidate.

“In these trying times, we must work together and do what is best for our country even if we are stepping out of our comfort zone,” Drake said. “I feel that Jo has the intention to take care of our citizens and is more concerned about our wellbeing as a country than Trump or Biden. It is a privilege to have the freedom to vote and it is important that we utilize it.”

Now Drake sleeps well, resting in the fact that she followed her conscience to vote third party despite friends and family telling her she was wasting her vote. If enough people defy the fear of casting their vote on an underdog, she reasons, America’s future may be one where a third or fourth party can begin competing with the two that have been locked in a back-and-forth power struggle since almost the beginning of the nation.

Another voter’s internal struggle ended with the opposite outcome. Biology sophomore Kirsten Dennison agonized over the little white boxes at the voting station, feeling her heart beating in her chest before finally selecting who she believes was the lesser of two evils that could compete with the other.

While voting for President Donald Trump was not her first choice, Dennison feels that in an election as important as this one, she cannot afford to use her vote on a third-party candidate that likely will not win.

“Unfortunately, like many other people, it’s too hard for me to vote third party because I feel the Republican and Democratic numbers are just too strong,” Dennison said. “Either that is the case, or many other people are too scared their vote will go down the drain and won’t matter if they do not vote for one of the two main parties.”

Dennison remains hopeful that one day the Libertarian Party can join the ranks of the major parties, giving voters a place between the two extremes that tear apart America every four years. However, she does not think this year is the year that will bring that to pass.

By Bec Morris

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Walking up to Home Slice Pizza, Mariana Casas proudly displayed her “I voted” sticker on her chest. She knew that along with her right to vote, she was getting other perks too, and that included free food and drinks from all over Austin, Texas when showing her sticker.

“It was very nice to be appreciated by my city by doing my civic duty and voting in this presidential election,” Casas said.

She grabbed her margarita pizza and took it back to her car, ready to head over to the next place. Her plan is to create a full, free meal for her lunch. Earlier in the morning, she had stopped by Marcelino’s Tacos for a free breakfast taco, and her next target was Indy Brewing, where she could get a free “Freak Power” draft.

“It feels as though all of this food tastes better than usual,” Casas said. “I know that the reason is that it’s free. Free food always tastes better in my opinion, especially free drinks.”

Her final stop for the day was Easy Tiger, where she would pick up her free cookie. All of her food, compiled in the passenger seat and secured by the seatbelt, was now ready to be eaten.

Many more stores and restaurants have been offering these deals from the start of early voting until Election Day, and Casas plans on hitting as many places as she can before then. And it’s not just food.

“I’ll be going to pick up a free nail polish and succulent tomorrow,” Casaa said. “And I might try to come back to Home Slice and see if they will give me another free pizza.”

by Auva Saghafi

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Although voting becomes a civic right at the age of 18 in the U.S., there are many people who don’t take advantage of it until later in life.

It is easy to overlook the fact that someone who is 50 years old and has never voted while looking at the statistics of voting because they have a better turnout than that of the younger crowd. The number of young voters is significantly less than that of those who are of older voters.

There are many older people, though, that have never voted and but it is not too late to get started. Being registered to vote has never been an issue to keep Connie-Patricia Escobedo from voting, but she just has chosen not to.

“I felt like it didn’t matter who was in the White House. We Hispanics get screwed either way,” Escobedo said. “The reason I’m voting this year is because it’s really affecting all the minorities, so much hate. Now I do think it’s important. I feel like we are going backwards.”

Escobedo is going to vote his year with her son who is also a first-time voter. She encourages others to take action and vote to get involved in politics and make their voices heard.

“I think public vote is important,” Escobedo said. “Just vote. It does matter and we can make a difference.”

Kathy Frank grew up in Canada and became a U.S. citizen just to vote specifically in this election. Frank believes it is important in a world where you can put your opinion out on social media, that you should follow that opinion up with a vote.

“I cried waiting in line to vote,” Frank said. “People died for this right and countries around the world still are not as fortunate.”

Both Frank and Escobedo are proof that it is never too late to get involved in politics and to share their voice in voting as a civic duty. Whether a first time or seasoned voter, Frank urged it is still important to be informed of what the voting is for and who the candidates are and what they stand for.

“Read, read, read — the whole story, don’t just listen to a snippet or a headline,” Frank said. “Make your decision and proudly stand behind your beliefs. Honor that others may have opposing beliefs. This is what makes this the greatest country in the world.”

by Aubrey Vogel

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It was a very pleasant afternoon in College Station. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky with the temperature around 70 degrees, an ideal fall day. I waited on the east side Kyle Field a few hours before the A&M Aggies faced off against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

I couldn’t have been waiting for more than 10 minutes before Cat Kaman walked up. I’d scheduled this interview after another fell through and she was kind enough to meet me on short notice.

Kaman is a sophomore who just transferred to A&M this fall. This year is the first year she has an opportunity to vote in a presidential election, but she chose to abstain from voting this year.

“Both candidates are bad options to choose from,” Kaman said, referring to Joe Biden and DonaldTrump. “I’d rather not vote than vote for someone I can’t trust nor believe will do more good things in office than bad”.

Kaman is registered to vote in Bexar County in San Antonio, not in Brazos County. But the distance wasn’t the reason she decided not to vote.

“My whole thought process is that I need to trust the candidate I vote for and I don’t trust either of them,” Kaman said.

by Matthew Willmarth

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With the 2020 presidential election coming to an end soon, many Americans are worried about their mail-in ballots. Americans have been waiting weeks to get their mail- in ballots but many have not showed up yet.

Alaina Raines, from Wills Point, Texas, has been waiting for her mail-in ballot for weeks.

“It’s really frustrating when election day is so close, and my ballot still isn’t here” Raines said.

If it’s happening to Raines, it could be happening to other Americans. Not getting ballots on time is a major concern for Election Day.

The Postal Service has said that their on-time delivery rate went down to 85 percent. That is almost down 91 percent over a three-month period. The U.S. Postal Service recommended voters should complete their ballot before Election Day.

According to the U.S. Elections Project ran by Michael McDonald, professor at University of Florida, 57 million voters requested mail-in ballots but only 32 million have been returned. If round 25 million voters return their ballots last minute before Election Day how will this affect the election?

This has been a big issue Americans have been wondering. Around 30 states require that ballots must be received by Election Day to be counted. The Supreme Court has been dealing with issues in other states, including Wisconsin. The Supreme Court voted against Wisconsin wanting ballots to be counted six days after Election Day.

The Postal Service has been working hard during the month of October to get ready for the upcoming election. Since the beginning of October, the average time of delivery for ballots was 2.5 days. Total mail volume surpasses 4.5 billion which is an increase of 114 percent compared to the 2016 election. Hopefully with the Postal Service working faster voters like Alaina Raines will be able to cast their vote by mail.

by Sarah Winther

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The clink of metal against glass fills the air as Rosa Alonso’s family sits quietly at the dinner table that night. It is just after 7 p.m. on a Tuesday. Her father is reading the newspaper and her brother, positioned across the table, steals quick glances over his shoulder at the living room TV, where a college basketball game is muted. Alonso uses the time to think about her criminology essay due the following day: strain theory, rational choice theory, broken windows theory.

The silence breaks when her mother begins conversation by informing the table that she is making the journey downtown for early voting in the morning and invites her daughter to come along. Alonso, a first-time voter, accepts.

“So, who will you vote for?” her dad asks. There is a pause as he looks up from the paper, expectantly. “I’m just curious.”

She doesn’t believe him. This, the man who spent his nights fist raised at the TV screen during the 5 o’clock news. The man who incited debate at every family holiday. The man who spilled his political agenda on the way to the grocery store.

This wasn’t an interrogation, but it also wasn’t an open question. Alonso brushes it off, saying that she hadn’t yet decided.

“You better make up your mind quick, darling,” her father says.

Early the next morning, Alonso is sitting in the parking lot of her local county annex. People file out with the small red, white and blue stickers pasted to their clothing. A cool breeze takes her nerves with it as she approaches the building. When inside, Alonso goes through the motions: turn off phone, present identification, sign in. Taking a small piece of cardstock from the clerk, she shuffles to her kiosk and takes a seat.

In an instant it is over. Alonso selects the name and walks out, thinking of her dad.

by Katelyn Terry