2016 Illinois Primary from the Eyes of Millennials

With only a few hours to go before the 2016 Illinois Primary comes to a close, the competition between the six remaining candidates has escalated from accusations that others are puppets of Wall Street, to jabs at the size of others’ appendages. A focus of this election has been winning the millennial vote, thus, this tension has thrived within the walls of Urbana High School. Support for one’s favorite candidate is made clear by blatant t-shirts, buttons, or the ever-so-civil debate between friends.

To gather the true sentiment of eligible voters at UHS, students were asked to cast their vote during homerooms. The questions included which candidate they will vote for, which candidate they will not vote for, and what issue is most important to them. To review, each candidate’s platform issue is listed as follows:

Ted Cruz is a strict interpreter of the Constitution and has argued it against the Supreme Court 70 times. He promotes “rolling back” the power the federal government has over the people in order to govern according to the Constitution.

John Kasich’s “Kasich Action Plan” is the Governor’s plan to regain “power, money and influence” from Washington, thus improving America’s economy.

Marco Rubio is a strong proponent of “strong family values”, and he wants to push paid leave for new parents, end the marriage tax penalty and allow states to use anti-poverty dollars on programs that recognize the key role families play in a healthy economy.

Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” initiative includes cutting government spending and cutting taxes across all income levels.

Hillary Clinton’s experience as Secretary of State under President Barack Obama gives credit to her foreign policy, which includes being a harsh opponent to ISIS and the threat of terrorism and standing up to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Bernie Sanders’s position as a self-declared “Democratic-Socialist” especially affects his domestic policy, specifically his plans to revitalize the US’s economy. To do this, Sanders promotes rebuilding our “crumbling infrastructure” in order to create 13 million new jobs and demanding that the wealthy and big businesses pay their fair share of taxes.

This poll revealed that Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is the favorite of new voters at UHS. However, there is no shortage of dissenting opinions – primarily in the form of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. This fierce rivalry has emerged as an emotionally-driven debate, with many feeling as if Sanders best represents the people, and many still feeling as if Clinton is more electable.

“On Tuesday I will vote for Hillary Clinton. I believe that Hillary Clinton is the best candidate based on her experience as a US senator and Secretary of State,” said senior Willie Powers. “Hillary Clinton wishes to continue the successful policies of Obama – which I am a fan of – and out of all the candidates running, Clinton has the experience and knowledge in foreign policy necessary for a president. Additionally, Clinton has always been a strong supporter of those living in poverty and our nation’s minorities.”

By the time many students at UHS are of age to vote they have a year of U.S. History under their belts – completed by debates, discussions and a multitude of facts. Undoubtedly, this has an evident effect, as many come out of junior year with a soft spot for liberal politics and a vendetta against the GOP.

Senior Lily Finell, a Sanders supporter, said, “I’m definitely not voting for any of the Republican candidates because they are all horrible. None of their beliefs align with mine, and I honestly believe that if any of them became President the country would come close to failing. I’m voting for Bernie because he’s the only candidate who is free from corporate-buying, and that probably won’t happen again because of the way the US is. And, also, because he is truly a representative of the people.”

Whether the cause of this bi-partisan divide is the liberal-minded college town we live in, (Champaign-Urbana and Chicago are credited with the reason why Illinois is a blue state) or the unabashedly candid history we are taught, (naturally, we are taught to look at both sides of the issue, but more often than not, the conservative side is scorned) finding a conservative at UHS who is willing to talk about their beliefs is a challenge.

But whether the young voter calls themselves a Democrat or Republican, they have one thing in common: businessman Donald Trump does not have their vote.

“I will not vote for Donald Trump. I find him incredibly racist and not very intelligent,” said Junior Jon Giedraitis, a GOP supporter. “I will vote for Marco Rubio because I feel he represents my beliefs best, and he is, in my opinion, more respectable than some of the other candidates.”

As of Mon., March 14, Trump is winning the Illinois Primary, with Cruz, Kasich and Rubio trailing in that order according to CBS News and NBC News polls. According to CBS News, Sanders is winning by 2 points, while NBC News reports that Clinton is leading by 6 points.