By CAITLIN GALLAGHER and EMMA CASTRO with additional reporting by MADDIE BOGLIOLI
Regardless of who you support, it is undeniable that this election has been a major weight on the minds of the American people. Despite not being able to vote, high school students have not been immune to the impacts of this election. Students like 9th grader Ryann Dugan noticed the unusual intensity and hostility of this election: ”The election made me a little bit anxious because the outcome affects so many people and everyone had such strong opinions.” Many students have been phone banking and text banking for presidential candidates and senate campaigns across the country. High schoolers know that the outcome of this election will affect them in their adult life, which makes many of them feel anxious.
Junior Fiona Moore felt that the suspense of the election was nerve-wracking, especially considering the closeness of the race and the amount of time it took for the results to come in. She explained, “I wish I could vote because it’s easy to feel voiceless without a ballot, but I also think that lots of teens lack the maturity needed to make an informed vote.” Fiona, as well as many other CHHS students, found a way to contribute to this election despite being unable to vote. She participated in phone banking with Planned Parenthood Votes for the Senate race in Maine, which she felt was a great way to make a difference.
Even with the election over, students realize that many people are divided over the election. While Fiona explained that things were not tense in her own household, she saw how this election became divisive for a few of her friends and their families. She feels grateful and privileged to say that, on a personal level, she was not particularly impacted by the election, but she realizes that this was not the case for many Americans. Fiona also mentioned that “this election could definitely impact [her] later on in life, especially in terms of taxes and reproductive rights.” In the wake of the election’s aftermath, Fiona felt it was time politicians moved on, instead of discussing or debating the result. “I know it isn’t the result some people wanted, but Biden won, and a lot of good things can come out of this.” Similarly, 9th grader Ryann Dugann explained his frustration that people could not start moving on: ”Tempers are flaring on all sides and there seems to be a big division between people with different opinions.”
Shoshana Daly, a Junior, also felt affected by the election. Like Fiona Moore, Shoshana felt helpless due to her inability to cast a ballot. She said “I felt like I was watching the world struggle and fall apart and I had no voice in it.” Shoshana wished she could have voted, but understands that voting restrictions are in place due to the general maturity levels of teenagers. Due to the fact that she is too young to vote, Shoshana felt obligated to find different ways to get involved with this election. She worked with Dayenu, a Jewish Climate organization, and her job there was to encourage people who felt concerned about climate change to make a plan to vote. In addition to this, Shoshana also phonebanked for Planned Parenthood for the Senate race in Maine.
Even after the election, Shoshana has continued her involvement by phone banking for Fair Fight, a non-profit organization run by voting rights activist Stacey Abrams. She calls voters in rural Georgia and encourages them to request mail-in ballots for the senate runoff race that will come to a close on January 2nd. Shoshana’s family has not been immune to the division caused by this election, and even though her immediate family is very liberal, she would find her mother arguing about politics with her more conservative grandparents. Her situation is not unfamiliar to many high school students, many of whom experience the division in American politics on a more personal level in their own households. Although Biden has won, Shoshana still feels the effects of the election since Trump is still in office. She fears increased damage being done to the climate, compiling deaths of Americans due to Covid-19, and increased hate crimes directed at the Jewish community. Although the election results have been made clear, she is still scared, saying that “In the days until the Inauguration, I am frightened of just how much damage Trump can still do.”