With the upcoming presidential election, there is a flood of emotions coming from the Hackley student body. Coming alongside recent issues such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the struggling economy, racial inequity, police brutality, the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, climate change, and many more, this election is one of the tensest and important in history. In addition, the divisive rhetoric coming from each presidential candidate has stirred up a range of emotions across the country.

These emotions span from fear of the outcome, to a lack of enthusiasm for either candidate, and to uncertainty for what the future of this country holds. With Hackley being a politically aware community, the student body, administration, and faculty have strong feelings and opinions about the election. 

Politics is a major part of many Hackley students’ lives, and while some are passionate about their beliefs, this election has brought a new sense of confusion and a lack of hope for many. Sophomore Colin MacKinnon articulated that he feels, “annoyed by the lack of options [for candidates]”. This is a very common emotion amongst Hackley students, as many don’t feel passionate about either candidate.

Senior Cate Goodwin-Pierce expressed her fears surrounding this election, “I’m nervous because a lot is riding on this election for the rest of our lives because of [issues such as] climate [change and] student loans.” 

Similarly, senior Anna Sanzenbacher expressed that “there is a lot of tension between the two candidates, with watching the debates you can definitely see there is a lot of contradictory information being presented by both sides.”

Junior Emily Rossman shared a lack of enthusiasm for either candidate as well. When asked if she was supporting a candidate she responded, “reluctantly yes.” She also said that “I’m definitely further left than Biden…but I’m very scared, definitely with the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg about women’s and minority’s rights.” 

There is also a sense of confusion among students as this election is like no other. Sophomore Catie O’Rourke explained that she doesn’t, “read into politics, [and is not] for a certain party,”. She explained that she just wants “ the better candidate, and whoever will help our country more.” 

Junior Dylan Ormsby shared concerns about this election,  adding that, “There is more tension than years prior…things are deteriorating a lot faster, and in the coming weeks there will be more tension between the two parties.” 

Similarly, junior Catherine Lapey shared difficult feelings about the election as she shared that, “I’m worried people are too tied to party loyalties, for instance I consider myself more on the conservative side of things…but I fear that people associate themselves too much with a party to look at issues greater than just party divisions.” Catherine also expressed that her views have changed since the 2016 election.    

Senior Ocean Saric also expressed that, “It’s a little frustrating because I feel like both sides are too radical and they should be moving closer to the direction of their platforms. And it’s frustrating because it’s two old guys who are going to dictate my life, economy, and jobs.”                             

Junior Serina Fasciano held similar concerns, sharing that, “I think there is a lot riding on this election.” For example, the filling of a vacant seat on the Supreme Court, she said.

This election holds more importance than any year prior with the stark divide in policy and perspective between Biden and Trump. With Hackley being a rigorous academic learning environment, students have an added pressure of staying informed and forming opinions on the election. It feels that throughout the campus on either spectrum of the political scale, students have daily debates about this election. When many students were asked to be interviewed for this article, they declined due to fear of being attacked based on their views. The polarizing effects of this election have certainly spread to the Hackley community as students feel a sense of confusion, fear, and passion about this election year.