In less than a week, some Deerfield students will be active participants in deciding the nation’s next president. Students interviewed were evenly divided between the candidates and said they valued voting as a vital right.
“I’m voting for President Obama because I’m a woman,” Charlotte Posever said. “For me, women’s rights are so important—the right to choose, equal pay, the list goes on. I’m a firm believer in equality and progress, and Obama has begun to bring that back to the country already and will continue to move us forward in the right direction.”
Similarly, Hannah Insuik said, “Women should not have to fight for equal pay in a year like 2012. We have more women in science and other male-dominated professions than ever, and it is evident that they are just as good at their jobs as men.”
She added, “Birth control isn’t a privilege, it’s a right. A woman has the right to decide what is best for her, for her family and for the potential child.”
Adriana Lopez searched online to compare the candidates’ opinions on issues like immigration and taxes.
“After some thorough research, I found that Obama’s opinions are similar to mine,” she said.
“With the choice between Obama and Romney,” Cody Anderson-Salo ’14 said, “I’d go with Obama because I agree with him more socially, and I think the social is more important than the economic.”
After some consideration, Thomas Shuman ‘13, responded, ”Probably Obama. Foreign policy and our place in the world is very important to me, and I feel like Romney’s foreign policy, especially in the Middle East and in his trips, has been characterized by mistakes and embarrassments. In times like these, we need friends and allies, and I believe that Obama will be a stronger diplomat than Romney in the coming years.”
On the other hand, Maggie Morse ’13 will vote for Governor Mitt Romney.
“Although I do not agree with his view on women’s rights, I think his economic plan is more beneficial to the country,” she said. “Obama’s plan would lead to fewer qualified doctors, since there would be no motive to be a doctor with a low salary. They would all be pharmacists, and I think having qualified health professionals is the most important issue right now.”
Similarly, Tom Sherwood ’13 said he will vote for Mr. Romney because of his economic plans.
“I support his drive to repeal Obama care and his opinions regarding the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan,” he added.
Tatum McInerney ’13 said, “I believe the economy is the most important issue in the 2012 elections. Romney is a businessman and he’s probably the best person to get us out of this crisis right now.”
Robert Beit ’13 cited economic and social issues as the reasons he voted for Mr. Romney through advance polling.
“I believe he will do a better job with the economy than Obama will, and I doubt Obama will follow through with his statement about being for gay marriage,” he said.
Byers Kadow ’13, an Alaska native, said, “I know my vote is only one in millions, but being able to vote allows me to express my opinion on who I believe should run this country. I’m voting for Mitt Romney because I believe he has the necessary skill set to get the U.S. out of the trouble Obama has put us in.”
Like Kadow, students said they valued their opportunity to vote this year.
“Voting is one of the civil liberties that this country was founded upon,” Sherwood said. “Some challenge it and say that the electoral college takes away the individual voter’s importance. It is essential to remember, however, that voting is one the few true ways to express the freedom that we as a country have defended for almost 250 years, a process many citizens of other countries don’t get a chance to partake in.”
Insuik said, “You can debate and defend your ideas all you want. You can argue and fight with people over what you think is right, but the point of democracy is to listen to the country, and use a majority to make decisions.
“Whether you’re a part of what ends up being the majority or the minority, you are being heard and making a difference. I think voting is more about feeling a part of something and being proactive, than being one of the hundreds of millions of votes,” she said.