Turn on the television and politics seem unavoidable. Negative advertisements seem to appear between every segment of shows. Political debates are broadcasted daily. Election time is here again.
This year, the ballots in Florida include voting for one senator to replace George LeMieux (who took over as Senator after the resignation of Mel Martinez in August 2009), a new governor to take the place of Charlie Crist, as well as many representatives to the House; all will take on Tuesday, November 2.
“I think the outcomes of this election, both in Florida and nationally for Congress, are really important for the direction of the country,” David Dainer-Best, AP US History teacher, said. “It’s important, as citizens, to participate in electing our public officials.”
This year’s senate race for the Florida seat has received widespread attention since April 2010 when Crist announced that, while he would remain in the race, he would run as an independent. This left the Republican nomination to Marco Rubio, who won the primary election in August. The Democratic nomination went to Kendrick Meek.
“From his [Crist’s] perspective, it was important to leave the Republican Party or he’d never have become a nominee because of Rubio’s overwhelming popularity,” Dainer-Best said.
With Crist attempting to become a U.S. Senator, his position as governor is now up for grabs as well. Republican Rick Scott and Democrat Alex Sink are the main candidates in this open election. A handful of other independent candidates run with no party affiliation, but each is expected to receive less than one tenth of a percent of the votes. If elected into office, Sink would become the first female governor in Florida’s history.
While most high school students cannot vote yet, many Panthers, including junior Katrina Carrillo, still find ways to become involved in the election process. She has worked as a volunteer with Marco Rubio’s campaign over the last few months. Although she, and most of her friends, will not be able to vote in this election, Carrillo believes that all high school students should still be involved in politics.
“I think that high schoolers should pay attention to politics and elections because they are soon going to have a voice in those elections through their vote,” Carrillo said. “I know that there are a lot of people out there who don’t believe their vote could really matter, but it does and its definitely one of the things that volunteering for Marco has helped me realize.”
Those high school students who are voting in the upcoming election, including senior Susana Rodriguez, are looking forward to their first direct involvement in the government system and having a say on the issues that affect them.
“I’m looking for change. If I don’t vote now and help change who is in office, the U.S. will keep getting piled with trillions of dollars of debt,” Rodriguez said. “They [the elected politicians] can make the changes that we the people are looking for.”
Although a new president is not being elected, the results of the November 2 election could spell out big changes for the country and everybody in it.
