College students still weighing presidential choice options
Out of 25 college students approached by the Transcript, 14 said they weren't informed enough on the 2020 election or candidates to offer any comment or perspective.
Of the students who agreed to discuss their opinions, many said they want to elect a president who could unify the country and push past partisanship and accomplish much-needed goals.
For students planning to vote for a Democrat, the desire for a unifying president meant many were looking toward more moderate candidates like
"I'd like to see somebody who's a little more moderate who might help decrease the (partisanship) in politics right now, and might help get some bipartisan support for different bills and help America as a whole instead of just separating it by party," said
Public relations sophomore
"I feel like there's just so much divisiveness, and I feel like we really need to unite people, and I feel like by focusing on issues like women's rights issues and civil rights issues, it'll hopefully bring us together again," she said.
Alyson O'Shae, a public relations sophomore, said while she's conservative on many issues, she's not sure if she'll vote in
"I don't know if I would vote if it came down to it -- I know that you do have a civic duty to vote, but I don't know if I could morally vote for Trump or a Democratic candidate," O'Shae said. "... I don't like who (Trump) is as a person. ... I don't like how he talks about women or minorities, so morally I don't know if I could vote for him. I think that some of his economic policies are beneficial for the country, but I also don't like some of his stuff about immigration."
Out of the 11 students who discussed their 2020 opinions, one said she's considering voting for Trump next November.
"I know that there's been good changes since Obama," said freshman
For students voting Democrat, a strong, unifying candidate also is essential as impeachment proceedings loom, they said.
"If the impeachment goes through but then the
While most students weren't decided on a single candidate yet, some already knew who they didn't want in office. Eighteen Democratic candidates remain in the race.
Two students said they dislike
"I really don't want it to be
No matter their party affiliation or candidate preferences, students' larger concerns echoed national conversations about accessible health care and education, preserving LGBTQ rights, climate change, immigration and for Democratic voters, preserving abortion and reproductive rights.
Students want accessible higher education, they said, and need plans to help tackle the issue of student debt. Taykar, who's registered to vote in
"It breaks my heart when I go volunteer at a school and they live 10, 15 minutes away from OU, but they're like, 'I know I can't afford OU, it's just a fact of life,'" said Taykar, who also emphasized his desire for affordable, universal health care. "If you live in
Students also are concerned with issues that involve their future professions, from education to the medical field.
"My major is elementary education, and school shootings and gun control is something that's really, really big for me, because I feel like it's not talked about enough," said
One international student who requested not to be named said while she can't vote in the
"If the country becomes more inclusive of international persons, and just migrants and immigrants, and those seeking even asylum, just seeking refuge in the country, it would make things much better," the student said. "Even this wall that they're building to keep Mexicans out, I feel like it's so unnecessary. ... I understand that there needs to be restrictions, but I don't think it needed to be that extreme."
The student said she'd also like to see a leader who is straightforward about their plans and beliefs, and a country that is less concerned about intervening in other countries' affairs.
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