Presidential Campaign So Far -- Students Weigh In

No one is sure who to vote for, if at all by Jazmin RosaFrom February 1^st to June 14^th 2016, voters across the nation will vote to determine the final candidates for the 2016 Presidential Election. The New York primaries occur on April 19^th, and the general election falls on November 8th.Many students will vote for the first time in the upcoming presidential election—but for who?The most frequently talked about potential candidates in popular media are Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, who has surged recently and is popular with young people.According to the most recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, Donald Trump's popularity has dropped and he's running neck and neck with Ben Carson among Republicans. Carly Fiorina is now tied with Marco Rubio for third place.Among Democrats, the continued email scandal has hurt Hillary Clinton who has lost ground to Bernie Sanders. She leads him by 15 points, down from her whopping 60-point lead over Sanders in June. The wild card: Vice President Joe Biden as he considers a run for president.Students have various reasons for liking—and disliking—candidates. “I think I’m going to vote Hillary, because her husband was a fair president and it’s about time we had a woman in the oval office,” says Danica Gutierrez, an undeclared freshman who will be 18 next January.Others are sticking to the idea of ABT—Anybody But Trump. “I am definitely not voting for Trump because well, do I actually have to explain that?” says Ashley Kalstek, a student of journalism. “I’ll probably be voting for Bernie Sanders mainly from the little I’ve seen on social media; I’ll have to do more research.” Kalstek also noted that she is motivated by what each candidate will do for young adults and loan forgiveness for students such as herself.Many students feel cynical about the process. “I don’t plan on voting at all,” says Angie Quinones, a 26-year-old digital design major. “I don’t trust the government and do not want any part of their plans.”Quinones adds that, “I don’t like Trump but I think that he’ll win because he has the most money. Like if I vote for him he will win, and if I don’t vote for him he will win anyway, so what’s the point?”Royce Engeldrum, a 27-year-old English student, agrees: “It doesn’t matter who the president is. They’re all just puppets whose appearances and opinions are managed by publicists to hide the fact that they are just impotent figureheads.”Before you can vote, you have to register. For help, visit the NYPIRG office in the NAC at I/120. And get informed by watching the upcoming debates. The Democrats will go at it on October 13 on CNN. And the third Republican debate will be broadcast from Boulder, Colorado, on October 28 on CNBC.