I’m writing this at the dawn of what will be the most chaotic, divisive, and scariest election of our lifetime. It’s the morning of Election Day, 2024. Nobody at this time knows what is about to happen. This race is so incredibly close, and even now there are numerous undecided voters, debating over who they want to lead the country. The decisions made today will shape this country –and even the world– for generations to come.
On one side of the aisle, you have former President Donald Trump, who if somebody had told you 20 years ago that he would actually become President of the United States, they would laugh you out of the room. Now, he has become the most polarizing and controversial figure in modern American history, especially because of January 6. You either love him to death, hate him with everything you have, or are just tired of hearing the constant narrative around him every day.
On the other side of the aisle is Kamala Harris, who swooped in to get the Democratic nomination after President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign in late July. She has a passionate following of supporters, but has faced issues with some voters, mainly due to resentment of the Biden-Harris administration.
And in the middle, you have the third party candidates, the Jill Steins and the Cornell Wests, who are trying to dissuade voters away from the two main candidates.
There is such a large spectrum when it comes to voters. You have diehard Trump/MAGA supporters who will have his back no matter what he gets himself into, Harris supporters who are hopeful for an end to Trump’s antics, and then there’s a large group in the middle, not satisfied with either candidate and their ideals. Some are completely done with Trump, but, for one reason or another, can’t bring themselves to vote for Harris. Some are truly compelled by the third party candidates. Others just don’t know what path they feel is best for the country. The two main candidates are so distinct from each other, creating a bitter and nasty divide across the country.
My point in bringing up all this context about Trump, Harris, and everything in between is to show how uncertain everything is. On top of the presidential race, there are crucial races taking place in the Senate and the House which will decide who has control over the two chambers, and in turn, the United States. Women’s reproductive rights are on the ballot in many states. When it comes to who will be president, you might as well just flip a coin to make your prediction.
As a high school student, as scary and nerve wracking this all is, it is equally frustrating. So many of the decisions being made today are going to directly impact our generation and our future, but we have little say in those decisions. I’m not trying to make the argument that we deserve to vote at our age. However, it feels like many of our generation’s calls for action have been ignored by both sides. People in politics say that Gen Z is crucial to the development of this country, and it absolutely is, but they aren’t showing to us that that’s what they truly believe. It feels like they aren’t making enough attempts to properly try to reach our generation and show us that they care about what we have to say.
In the end, your opinion is your own. Whether you’re old enough to vote or not, you have every right to your beliefs and to make those beliefs heard. No matter how hard all sides on the spectrum try to pull you towards them, the decision is yours. And that’s why it is so crucial to make that decision. In an election this close, nearly half of the country will be unhappy with who becomes the next president. This divide will likely continue to grow. But that’s why it’s so important for our generation to make our voices heard, to make sure that doesn’t happen.
No matter who the next president is, the country will have to move forward. But it can only move forward if everybody works together to do their part to end the division.
