By Noah Lynch
Originally Published on November 3, 2020 on Lancaster Bible College's Focus Newspaper
Today is the 2020 presidential election between Joe Biden and incumbent presidential nominee, Donald Trump.
What do Lancaster Bible College’s students think about the election? Have they been following it or not?
Carolina Burgos, a second semester junior at LBC, said that she has not been following the US political media too much.
“I know whoever takes the presidential seat will influence things that take place in Puerto Rico (where I’m from) more than I think,” said Burgos. “But it is hard for me to relate to what is going on within US politics.”
Burgos said she follows the politics from Puerto Rico closely, but not as much for the US. Because of her lack of knowledge about the current political situation, she thinks she should not vote now.
“I have not even registered to vote this upcoming election,” Burgos said. “I do not want to vote just because ‘I have to’ but because I know where each party stand, and I have not followed their campaign properly.”
Clayton Bodley, a senior at LBC, has been following the election since the campaigns began. He has done so because he believes “government is a God appointed institution,” referencing Deuteronomy 17:2-20.
“I deeply care about the USA and I want all the world to worship and glorify God as He has commanded,” Bodley said. “It is the duty of civil governments to establish God’s Law as the law of the land and… protect the church from anyone that might harm it.”
Bodley regularly follows politics and has been following what both candidates have been saying. However, he finds it hard to follow at this time because of the candidates.
Audrey Avery, a junior at LBC, said she has been “in tune” with the election and believes it to be a pivotal election in which we have “responsibility to be involved.”
“This is a majorly important time in our nation’s history, and I believe at all times, but particularly now, it is important to be informed,” Avery said. “You don’t have to have a political commentary podcast or be a journalist or news anchor to have a voice.”
Avery said she has followed politics since she was eight, and she finds it easy to navigate.
“The problem that arises when people think it’s difficult to weed through is those that are myopic and narrow in what they look at,” Avery said.
She said she follows outlets like CNN, The NY Times, Daily Wire, Town Hall, Tucker Carlson, The Washington Post, MSNBC, Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and CBS.
“It’s easy to decide what you believe about … when you are open and objective,” Avery said.
Matthew Link, a senior at LBC, attempts to keep up with the politics when he can, but he often finds himself too busy.
“I think it’s important to try and stay current with politics so that I can make an informed decision when voting even if it isn’t easy and I don’t have the time,” Link said.
Link said that he follows politics semi-regularly, but he finds it very hard.
“There is so much going on at one time at both local, global, and national level that it can be very difficult to keep up with for me, but I feel like I need to because it all affects me one way or another,” Link said.
He also said that it is very hard to find unbiased sources to get his news. “I try to look at both sides and then try to see if what either is saying lines up with my political values,” Link said.
He plans on voting, yet he does not expect it to be easy. “I will most likely have to travel back to my home state of Delaware in order to vote,” Link said.
Kristin Hurdleston, a senior at LBC, has also been following along with the politics and “trying to watch all of the debates and look at both parties’ beliefs and policies.”
She says that she is not planning on voting because she cannot support either candidate. Although she has heard arguments for both, she wants her own opinions to be guiding her.
“I want to make sure that when I do vote in the future, all of the opinions that I have are my own and not the opinions of my loved ones, friends, and colleagues,” Hurdleston said.
Image Source: https://unsplash.com/@markuswinkler
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