As 2020 is nearing, that means that another election is getting closer. A lot of the citizens of the United States have been going to these political rallies, but before you go, know these key things.

1. Dress according to weather.

While summer is right around the corner, it still gets chilly as the sun goes down. I wore a T-shirt and jeans with my Columbia fleece because the day started off at almost 70 degrees. As Trump’s speech ended, temperatures dropped to 30 degrees!

2. Be prepared for a lot of walking.

At Michigan’s recent Trump rally, I walked a total of 3 and 1/2 miles! Make sure you wear very comfortable shoes.

3. Be considerate of opinions.

Not everyone likes our politicians and not everyone protests against them. You will see a ton of signs protesting and that’s okay. Their views matter just as much as yours do.

4. You can’t leave until the president leaves.

For example, while I was listening to Donald Trump’s speech, I got extremely cold and was ready to go because I wanted to beat traffic. Turns out, you can actually get in serious trouble for leaving the rally before the political candidate leaves.

5. Make sure you have something to occupy you.

Between waiting for the speech to start and waiting for the speech to get done, you have a lot of free time on your hands. I usually color on an app in my phone so my battery was already drained for the car ride to Washington Township. It sucked waiting in line for two hours with a dead phone.

6. Bring snacks and water!!!

While you probably can’t take them into the arena, you can still keep snacks and water with you on the long walk.

7. Expect to be out late at night.

The Michigan rally started at 7 pm so it was already almost dark when Trump arrived at the arena. While trying to leave, I sat in a pitch black ditch close to the arena, waiting for the roads to open so I could get to my car.

8. Get there early.

As I stated before, the MI Rally was at 7 pm. I arrived at the arena at 4:30 pm and I didn’t even make it inside the arena. I had to sit outside and listen through the speakers. Apparently, people started lining up at 9 am!!

9. Make the most out of it.

Going to these rallies is kind of a big deal! If you think about it, you get to see the person who runs (or is trying to run) our country! How cool is that?