I’m not one to normally write about politics or discuss my views largely, but this event is something that I need to personally talk about for my own sanity. The news this country woke up to this morning was not what many Americans wanted to hear. Our 45th president will be Donald J. Trump who will be sworn in on January 20, 2017. To the shock and awe of the country, I think we need to look at our future, and the positives that came from this election.
Have Your Voice Heard: Become an Odyssey Creator
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First of all, we need to move on. Yes it may be upsetting for many citizens to hear, but at this point there is nothing we can do. We have gone out, voted for our respective candidates and watched the numbers come in. There is nothing more to do on the larger scale. On the smaller scale, we can do a lot though. Go to your local town hall meetings, let your opinions be heard, vote in 2 years in the mid-term elections, then vote in 4 years in our next presidential election. This new chapter in America does not mean our voices have been silenced. It shows us that as a whole we need to participate on the smaller local levels to see the change we want, before blaming the larger levels on seeing what we don't want. In a recent survey done at Saint Michael's College, only 37% of students voted in either the democratic or republican primaries. These smaller pieces that make up the whole picture of our election need more importance placed upon them.
Now let's talk about some positives. On a smaller scale, out of the 700 SMC students surveyed, 81% said that they were going to vote or already had voted when the poll was conducted. That's an amazing turn out for just one college. This election was an active one; in Florida there were more early voters than total number of voters in the last few elections. People were getting involved and trying to learn as much information as possible. About 75% of students surveyed watched each of the debates and said that they were getting their information not just from social media; but from newspapers, news shows, and online resources.
The voter turnout results so far show that over 50% of each state's population came out to vote on election day alone. This is an increase from the about 40% in past elections. A majority of Americans took their voices to the polls to vote for the differences they wanted to see, even though it isn’t what some people expected for results, they still exercised this amazing right we have as Americans.
It may be hard for many people to come to terms with what is happening right now, and the mystery of the future is leaving citizens scared, anxious and confused, we need to start coming together and moving on. As Aesop said “united we stand, divided we fall” we all need to unite together now more than ever. This country isn’t going to radically change overnight, it takes time for bills to be passed and a lot of voting is involved in those processes. Whether you are a republican or a democratic, female or male, yes or no, we all need to come to an understanding that we all have different ideas and opinions and that fighting and spreading more hate will not fix anything. If we really want to make America great again, we need to stand united and respect one another.
