Students and staff discuss the upcoming election

Pulling out a stool to the middle of her living room, sophomore Amber Yarbrough recalls watching the presidential debate with her parents and older sister. As the remote sat on the arm of the couch, she said her family chatted about their least favorite candidate, her knowledge of the election all thanks to her seventh hour class.

That class is America Decides, a course designed to inform students on the state of the election, including the presidential candidates, who each student sides with and how the election really works. It is offered every four years leading up to the election to give students a platform on which to discuss political issues. One of the five America Decides teachers, Mike Hardin, said he makes sure to make his class a comfortable environment. He told his students on the first day that there was no room for discrimination in the classroom when students share their opinions or discuss political topics.

“It’s about being cool, because you can’t actually have a dialogue and you can’t actually learn and grow from others and differing opinions around you if your ears are turned off to hearing them,” Hardin said. “If you’re saying rude things or discriminatory things, how can you possibly have your ears listening to what others are saying and where they come from?”

Students like sophomore Lizzy Reilly said they were exposed to a better view of the election, one they wouldn’t experience from any other kind of class. Reilly said she has gained a different perspective of the election from this class and was excited to share it with her family and friends.

“Because of this class I can talk and discuss politics with my parents,” Reilly said. “I can keep up with what they’re saying and [I can correct] them if they’ve confused something. With my friends, we can talk on the basic level about politics and what we believe and support and what we don’t believe and support.”

After learning to maintain a cordial atmosphere in the class, Hardin said his students are all very respectful. Learning alongside his students, Hardin said he has had to adjust his teaching style from a previously forensics and social studies focus.

“America Decides is different because it grabs the attention of so many people, especially when you have an election like this one, which is so hotly contested and has made more headlines than any election ever, and in more unique ways than any election ever before,” Hardin said. “So it makes things different, and as a result, I have to teach the class differently.”

Another America Decides teacher, David Apel, said no matter who is teaching the class, the students shouldn’t feel like they are being told how they should think about the election.

“The students will disagree on issues, but their grades will be impacted positively or negatively on how you disagree,” Apel said. “They need to disagree in a civil way and not make it personal.”

Apel said statistics show that young people are least likely to vote of any demographic group. He and Hardin both said they hope America Decides encourages students to participate in voting.

“If you’re able to vote, and you could have, and you chose not to, how do you have the audacity to even complain?” Hardin said. “How do you have the nerve to say, ‘Well the government is doing this and that, and it’s so offensive to me,’ but you didn’t cast a ballot?”

Hardin said the class mainly covers the election process, from the choosing of a candidate to the legacy of presidents. However, he said he was sure to teach students, like freshman Maddie Huwe, the importance of voting.

“Democracy doesn’t work if everyone’s voice isn’t heard,” Huwe said. “A democracy is designed so everyone can have a say in the government. People get to vote on who they think matched their beliefs. If everyone who  can vote doesn’t vote, then everyone’s voice won’t be heard and the people who are elected won’t match the beliefs of our country.”

Students like Huwe have also found this election to be vastly different than any before. With Hillary Clinton, the first female front runner of a major political party, and Donald Trump, a business leader and reality television star as the Republican nominee, Huwe said this election will be one long remembered. Hardin agreed.

“I think that some of the surges you’ve seen in unconventional candidates like Donald Trump on the Republican side and Bernie Sanders on the Democratic side are a sign outwardly of dissatisfaction that’s been brewing inside both of those movements for a long time,” Hardin said.

Some students like Reilly have made up their mind on which candidate they prefer.
“If I could vote, I would vote for Hillary Clinton because she has a long, creditable track record dealing with politics for a long time,” Reilly said. “I support her view on issues such as LGBT rights, gun control, vaccinations, abortion, equal pay, economic issues and foreign affairs.”

However, some students like Yarbrough question Hillary’s legitimacy as a candidate and don’t trust her to be the president.

“I would vote for Donald Trump because I wouldn’t be able to trust Hillary,” Yarbrough said. “Have you seen the movie ‘Whiskey Tango Foxtrot’ with Tina Fey? In the trailer, this girl is the first to ever drive a car in [Afghanistan] and crashes the car. She doesn’t speak for all women, but she was the first one to drive and messed it up for all the [women] who wanted to drive there. It’s a good representation of what will happen after this election.”

Despite having different opinions, Apel said most of his students are very respectful of each other. While he said the students are learning a lot, Apel is learning a lot himself.

“One thing that I’ve enjoyed is that contrary to what a lot of people say — ‘Young people don’t care about the elections’ — I don’t find that to be true at all here,” Apel said. “I think most students are very passionate about their beliefs and that’s good. That’s enlightening. That makes me feel good about this generation.”