By DERRICK GALINDO
Senior Reporter
Voting for the presidential election is less than two weeks away; It’s the opportunity to improve the United States, no matter its divisiveness.
On Tuesday, Nov. 5, the polls will open, and everyone who registered will vote for the next president and vice president. Along with this, there is voting for some members of congress, which will affect the laws signed by the future president. Frank Lucas, who represents Alva, won in a primary election. As there were no other party candidates running, no vote is necessary for that seat.
Being in Oklahoma comes with its own divisive issues as far as voting goes. Why vote Democrat in a red state? Why vote at all when it can be refuted by the electoral college?
Dr. Aaron Mason, professor of political sciences, said it matters to vote with your conscience, regardless of what people think.
“The founders generally, whether they were Federalists or Jeffersonians, believed in this idea of civic responsibility,” Mason said. “They would’ve said, ‘Regardless of the outcome, its your responsibility to participate.’ I think that’s the message maybe we should send.”
Turning to a larger scale, Mason said a lot of the election’s divisiveness comes down to the state of the country, and how it is changing. However, nobody can agree on how it should change.
“I think the division is driven by people’s worldviews,” Mason said. “They can both make good arguments from their respective points of view. … for example, if we just take the economy, they push the green agenda. They push alternative fuels. They see fossil fuels as something to move away from—at least some people—but they see them as a negative thing. They see them as environmentally damaging, and that’s their perspective.
“The other side says there’s no need to do that. America has ample fossil fuels, and we could be totally self-sufficient. We don’t have to change the economy, and that’s just one example right there if we just look at the economy.“
A few Northwestern students gave heir input on why they think the election has been so divisive:
“You have such an extreme on one side, and then you can see a pull from being more progressive and liberal becoming more moderate from the left. With the Republican side, you can see such extreme rhetoric, blatant racism, blatant lies on the debate stage.
“With the Democrats, you see an attempt to reach those extremists by becoming a bit more moderate. People are kind of seeing how the Democrats are shifting their views to become more palatable to a wider audience. People are more hesitant to vote for Republicans because we see such an extreme option from the other side.” —Ash Crites, junior English education major from Hennessey.
“Honestly, we just need someone, because Biden didn’t really do anything for us. Everything right now is so high, food is so high up. If you go to Walmart, and you look at the groceries, the value is really up there. If Trump becomes president, hopefully he can put the price down. Back home, everything is so expensive. Hopefully, he can do something to help the community out. I haven’t really kept up with what Kamala has been saying, neither Trump, but I think I’m going to go on Trump’s side. They’re both not good candidates, to be honest, but we have to choose one.”—Salat Ibrahim, senior general studies major from Phoenix, Arizona.
“I think one of the biggest things about this election particularly is we are in the middle of a political realignment between the Republican and Democratic parties. We’re seeing a Republican Party that typically stands for a strong centralized government. big military, and power to the corporations. We’re seeing them make more democratic choices, like the overturning of Roe V. Wade. We’re seeing lifelong Democrats … join the Republican Party invoking their support. Then we have the Democratic Party that’s taking campaign funding. …
“I think it’s just a matter of time before the major realignment happens, or we split apart. In Federalist Paper No. 10, James Madison said flat out that he believed factions will lead to sectionalism, and sectionalism will lead to the dissolvement of the union. We’ve done nothing but create a rubber-banding system that is supported by factions.” —Haustin Smith, sophomore political science major from Ninnekah.
“Everyone wants their opinion to be heard, and no one really agrees with each other. They just want whatever they think is right.”—Riley Hensley, sophomore health and sports science major from Jet,
“I think it gets more divisive every single year because of the growing number of ideas spread around the world. Everyone has their own sense of self now, and everybody’s ideas are important. I feel like the Democrats and Republicans grow apart every single year.” —Andrew Talford Scott, freshman political science major, from Ryan.
