Get ready because the 2016 Presidential Election is today! After what seems like a never ending campaign, it is finally time to choose between Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. I was lucky enough to interview ASB class presidents, Julia Oles ’20, Carson Stockwell ’19, Al Bernal ’17, ASB executive Jack Killalea ’17, as well as our student body president, Nate Weiand ’17. I asked each ASB class president or executive about the presidential candidates and what their thoughts were about the election.

Much of the campaign has focused on Donald Trump’s comments about women. When asked about this controversy, Sophomore class president Carson Stockwell said, “I think his comments are unfair and it’s not right to be disrespecting women in any way.” Julia Oles ’20 responded to this question by saying, “I think people are overreacting to Trump’s comments. He’s been saying disrespectful things about women for years but people have decided to react now.”

Hillary Clinton has also received criticism throughout the campaign. The removal of emails from a private account has caught the country’s attention. This is a complicated scandal and many would like to know if she has been honest about her email use. Carson Stockewell ’19 said, “I’d like to believe she’s been honest but since it’s come up over and over again, at this point I’m not really sure.” Nate Weiand’s ’17 thoughts on this issue were slightly different. He said, “It’s just something that we’ve heard of and something that no one really knows anything about.”

Senior ASB executive Jack Killalea noted there has been a decrease in younger voters and in response said, “If you don’t want to vote then you won’t but it is our responsibility to vote and participate in our democracy. Maybe if younger voters understand how much the government does for them, they will be more open to vote.”

The president’s most important job is the ability to solve the country’s biggest problem such as gun violence or the decrease in national debt. When asked what issues are the most important when thinking about our next president, Al Bernal ’17 said, “I don’t want to say anything super controversial about my family’s views but I think my family is especially concerned about gun laws or issues with abortions.”

This has been an unusual election with issues taking backseat to personality and civility falling victim to bad behavior and half truths. This kind of behavior may contribute to the decrease in the number of younger voters as well as the overall debate about which candidate will best serve the country. The election, as Jack Killalea ’17 stated, “the string that broke the camel’s back.”