What the 2020 election meant for Kean students
By Leshay Jones | Published by November, 12, 2020
The 2020 Presidential election has been trending since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The atmosphere is no different for the students at Kean.
As most students are eligible to vote at Kean, for many, this election is more important than ever. With COVID-19 numbers rising, some students have expressed their concerns with voting by mail affecting the results of the election.
“There will probably be a number of throw-away ballots, people who won’t be counted because they weren’t filled out correctly, and ballots that just don’t make it in time,” senior forensic psychology major Samantha Riccardi said.
Others are concerned about the President outright cheating in light of the 2016 election that launched an entire investigation that nearly caused his impeachment.
In any case, many students have voted early by mail to avoid long lines and unnecessary exposure to the virus and to ensure that their vote was counted.
Many students believed that the process, including their actual choices, was fairly easy, and some were willing to share their votes and why they made that decision.
“I do not like either candidate. However, Trump supports white supremacy and was endorsed by the KKK. He has several sexual assault accusations, and he is xenophobic. For me, the choice was obvious,” senior Psychology major Susan Curtis said.
Although not in the majority of students interviewed, there was one person, who asked to remain anonymous, who voted for Donald Trump and Mike Pence.
“I do not support Trump, but I believe that the Democratic party needs another four years to come up with a solid strategy. The party is not ready to be in the Oval Office,” they said.
In any case, the country was clearly split in two even with Joe Biden leading in four major states the day before the election. As a relief to many, Biden was able to flip notoriously red states like Arizona and Georgia to win the 2020 presidential election. Many students have faith in him and his policies as opposed to Donald Trump.
“I like that he is taxing the rich, that way we can actually see our taxes be used for something good instead of taking pennies from the poor,” Curtis said.
Other policies from the Biden campaign that really stuck out to students were those concerning them directly.
“He wants to make college free for students whose parents make under 140 thousand a year and help students pay off school with some loan forgiveness,” Riccardi said.
Now, students feel that all that’s left to do is for the American people to hold President-elect Joe Biden accountable for the things that he promised the American people.