It’s that time of year again, a tradition we must do every four years.
It’s the presidential election cycle, and the students here on Grossmont’s campus were quite concerned for the future as they days counted down.
“From what I have experienced in other election cycles, even though I don’t agree with all of the policies of the Harris campaign, she is the best candidate for me,” said Annaya Bueno, a former educator with a background in history.
In spite of this decision, Bueno said she thinks that there may be issues on both sides.
“I can definitely still see where the country is going to feel very divided,” she said. “I can see where there’s potential for backlash in both camps. Whether or not Trump is elected or Kamala is elected, I think that there is great potential for a lot of upheaval.”
Zachary Braunwarth is another student who was also planning to vote for Harris. Like Bueno, he said he was wary of the change of power.
“I think if she wins the election, there will be some civil turmoil across the nation, but I believe it will be settled before the inauguration, hopefully without military intervention,” he said.
Reese Smith is different, however. A member of Gen-Z, she joined the two percent of registered voters who were still undecided, though her reasons were her own: “So maybe I do want to vote, but I’m just like, kind of unsure, like, I just don’t want to do the wrong thing, you know, I want to make sure it’s right for me. I feel like it’s just going to be very, like, separated. I don’t, I don’t know, like, I don’t, I don’t think it’ll even matter who wins.”
While Smith did not plan to vote in this year’s election, the same cannot be said for this generation as a whole. According to a recent article by news outlet The Hill, more than 41 million Gen Z voters were eligible to vote in this year’s election, all of which is coming on the heels of a steady increase in voter turnout in the last two generations over the previous election cycles.
The anxiety over presidential elections is understandable, as Smith reminds us of the election cycle from almost a decade years ago.
“I feel like there’s still gonna be just a really big divide, like, in the country,” she said. “And, like, I was in like, fifth grade when Trump was elected in 2016. I remember like, little kids talking about, like, ‘Go, Trump.’ Like, I just think that there’s just gonna be a lot of nonsense spread around either way, because I don’t think we shouldn’t go after the person necessarily, but go after their policies.”
All of this comes on the heels of Trump’s claims earlier this summer, where he warned there will be a “bloodbath” if he does not win the election. He’s also stated that his voters will not have to vote anymore if he wins, as he and his allies have already been expected to contest the results.
It’s a fear that Bueno was quick to recall: “We saw what happened during the storming of the Capitol (on January 6, 2021), and how there wasn’t a peaceful transfer of power. I could see that happening again, which is very unfortunate to think of, but I’m just hoping that the process is much more peaceful than it was before.”
As of the time of printing, Donald Trump won the presidential election. His inauguration is scheduled for Jan. 20.