NATE ROYS Contributing Writer
This presidential election proves to be one of the most important, pivotal elections in the history of the United States according to thenation.com.
Donald Trump of the Republican Party and Hillary Clinton of the Democratic Party are set to face off in the presidential election this upcoming November. Even though this election is a turning point for our nation, many people are choosing not to vote because they do not favor neither Trump nor Clinton. Both candidates have used unconventional methods to win their respective primaries.
“I must concede these are the most interesting elections of my lifetime. I have never seen two more polarizing candidates for national office,” said Chair of the Department of Social Sciences and Associate Professor of Political Science Dr. Tony Frye. Although Trump is not a textbook Republican, he dominated the Republican Primary Election through the spring and summer of this year.
According to Frye, “He (Trump) is the most unconventional presidential candidate and nominee likely in this country’s history. He has a loyal support base of about a third of the voters. However, he has incredibly high negatives, with around 60-65% of the American people not trusting him as a candidate.”
Many people like and support Trump’s brash attitude but it is this same reason that he has garnered so much negative feedback, as Frye stated in the previous quote.
Freshman nursing major Jacob Kirkpatrick said, “Both candidates are not a good choice, but Trump is the lesser of two evils.”
This seems to be a popular choice among students that are choosing to vote in this election. Hillary Clinton has a very strong support base, as she is the favorite to win the election right now, according to nbcnews.com. Clinton has gained a huge amount of support as she has the chance to become the first female President of the United States.
“For Madam Secretary Clinton, she has a less loyal voting base than Trump, and also has trust issues, with around 55% of the American people in polls expressing a lack of trust in her as a candidate,” said Frye.
However, many people do not trust Clinton because of her email scandals and the Benghazi massacre. No matter the distrust, people are voting for Clinton simply because of her excess experience in politics versus Trump’s lack thereof. A popular choice among students who are voting is third party Libertarian Gary Johnson.
“We could have an election where the third party candidates receive the most votes since Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996,” said Frye.
This will make the margin between Trump and Clinton that much tighter when election day comes.
When asked about the presidential election, freshman English major Matt Hodge said, “Two words: third party.” Many students are looking to Gary Johnson because he is a candidate they can relate to and agree with, even though he may not have a great chance of winning the election.
For more information on this election and voting, visit votinginfoproject.org.