ELECTIONS

Elections are coming up in the United States next year, and at USU this month. What are elections? That is a ridiculous question, of course we all know what elections are. However I want to highlight every aspect of elections that maybe you haven't thought of yet.

1st perspective: Voters. Most of us are more accustomed to this perspective. We look at the candidate and usually vote for the one that aligns with our beliefs, or the one we have heard about the most from our friends and family. On a more local scale, we vote for the candidate that we have more connections with. e.g." That kid was in my biology class! He seems really nice, I guess I will vote for him." However there is a great percentage of students and Americans who don't vote. Voting is either inconvenient for them, or they don't think they have much say in the matter. Are you someone who takes it upon yourself to know your candidates and votes? Or someone who doesn't vote, but complains when they don't like how things are being run?

2nd: Candidates. The key players, the brave ones. Most have lots of experience with what they are running for, some (even though they won't admit it) are in it for the title. All of them put up with A LOT! They may seem like they have a huge support group, however the bigger support group they have the bigger anti-support group they probably have. Especially presidential candidates, they hear on a daily basis why they are awful human beings. For example senator Marco Rubio was scrutinized for getting 4 parking tickets in 17 years, as if that is the worst thing a presidential candidate has ever done. Each of them have their own opinions, and they usually don't waver. Not only do candidates invest their time and life into running, think about the MONEY. According to the New York Times, Obama spent $750 million on his 2008 campaign! What about the candidates that don't make it? How would you deal with losing all of that money and effort? Would you think it was all for nothing or would you take something away from it? (that last question is a good determining question for if you should run for something or not).

3rd: Facilitators. Everyone forgets about these people. They are the glue, and absolutely essential to campaigns. They aren't allowed to show preference for a certain candidate because it is a good chance they are working with more than one. Maybe I'm biased (I am a facilitator for the USUSA elections coming up this month), Facilitators have the best job. They get to see all three perspectives of the voting process up close, they usually know exactly who they will vote for, and they get to see what works for candidates and what doesn't in case they ever want to run.

Who are you going to vote for? If you don't know, I recommend taking this quiz to see which presidential candidate represents your point of view the best. And when it comes time to vote for USUSA elections go to this site. I believe that gaining knowledge about issues helps you have your own opinion, which helps you become a better arguer.