Being unable to vote in a presidential election as a high school senior was super frustrating for me. I would only turn 17 a month after Election Day, and I recall being deeply offended that I couldn't even throw in a protest vote. If you think the same thing doesn't matter for high school students today — believe me, it does. To bask in the high of first-time voting, I took a trip over to Alvirne High School in Hudson, New Hampshire to see how brand-new voters were feeling on this historic day.
I also spoke with a few students who had just missed being of legal age to vote. Most of them said they didn't feel like they were missing out, but one brought up an interesting point — he wouldn't turn 18 until February, but he goes off to military base camp in March; shouldn't he be able to vote? Other college-bound students will spend years paying back hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans, but also missed the voting cut-off. I couldn't help empathize with the 17-year-old students who were so eager to be heard.
During Alvirne High School's mock election this Tuesday, Donald Trump won with 47 percent of the vote, while Independent Gary Johnson got a shocking 15 percent of votes — leaving Clinton with only 38 percent. I wasn't surprised at Trump's mock-win; I'd just seen quite the turnout at a (harrowing) Trump rally myself on Monday. Still, I will say that all the students who were willing to go on record with their vote for me said they voted for Clinton. Here's what they all had to say.
Kristin On Having A Voice
"Today was the first time I had a say and formed my own opinion on the candidates. [Before] I had never wanted to form an opinion over one or the other."
Voted For: Didn't Disclose
Antonio On Taking Responsibility
"...It's our responsibility to vote [for] who we want to represent us as a whole. I figured I'd vote for Hillary — she's the lesser of two evils."
Voted For: Hillary
Brandon On Voting For The Lesser Of 4 Evils
"This was a great experience to vote with the school instead of on my own — I know my parents will talk about how they have to take time off of work and what an inconvenience it can be. A lot of people say they voted for the lesser of two evils, I say the lesser of four [evils]. Instead of voting for who we liked the most, we voted for who we hated the least."
Voted For: Didn't Disclose
Keanna On Putting Her Policies Into Action
"I've always loved to keep up with politics...We discuss ideas and policies at home. While it's interesting to discuss, today I [get to] to cast a vote based on those policies."
Voted For: Didn't Disclose
Isabelle On Making History
"It was really cool to vote in this election because it was [my] first time voting — and also the first time voting for a female president."
Voted For: Hillary
Mark On Forming His Own Opinions
"It was an experience, because of how controversial the election [has been]. I had influence from family members and friends and I had to form my own opinions, but we all knew what we were doing."
Voted For: Didn't Disclose
Ashley On Not Letting The Drama Spoil Her Experience
"It felt good! It was hectic [at the polls]. Seeing how it affected people emotionally and people fighting just because they had different opinions."
Voted For: Didn't Disclose
Images: Kristin Collins Jackson (7)
