For the first time, seniors were able to be involved in a major election starting with early voting from Oct.13 to Oct. 30 and on general election day, Nov. 3. 

Senior Kate Schulle took the opportunity to vote early and cast her vote on Oct. 17. Schulle said she took part in the election to represent the groups in American society who are unable to vote and are not actively represented. 

“I vote to protect democracy, I vote for the 5.2 million people who are ineligible to vote due to being convicted of felonies,” Schulle said. “It’s incredibly important to show up to these polls and vote for people who do not have the right to vote, who are actively suppressed in America, and to vote in their best interest.” 

Similarly, senior Maddy Helm said she took the election as an opportunity to perform her civic duty. She said she felt it was especially crucial to vote during this historical election and have her say in the outcome of the presidential race. 

“I felt excited [to cast my vote] and I was hoping everyone who had not yet previously voted would go out and vote,” Helm said. “Every election is important, but [because of] the times our country is facing right now, I felt it was very important to cast my vote and to have my voice heard.” 

When deciding what candidate to vote for, senior Tristan Roach didn’t heavily rely on news outlets. Roach said that to inform himself on the candidates, he relied on his background research and analysis. 

“I don’t read the news that much due to it [being] either very right-leaning or left-leaning,” Roach said. “I research the history behind each person and what they have done that supports what I want for my future and how it’s going to shape it.” 

Schulle also used other alternatives when choosing her candidate. She used Vote411 as an accessible platform to compare the candidates for both local and federal positions as well as to pre-plan her ballot. 

“For me, it was very important to vote for a candidate who would be willing to adapt to a progressive platform and stray from tradition,” Schulle said. “Time and time again it has been shown that tradition that has been upheld from previous generations, fail us. We are an adaptive society and our laws and politicians must adapt as well.”

However, senior Clay Hoover stuck to his religious beliefs and his family’s conservative values when casting his vote. 

“For me it’s important to pick the candidate who will resemble Jesus Christ the most and who will reflect the Lord within our country, and to me that’s Trump,” Hoover said. “With the [issue of] abortion, Trump’s anti-abortion [and] that’s big for me.” 

The current voter turnout already exceeded that of the 2016 election, according to the Washington Post, and the Texas youth vote share  was 15% as of Nov. 4. Out of the youth vote share, 62% voted for Joe Biden and 35% for Trump, so the impact of young voters is recognized, according to both Helm and Roach. 

“I have seen a great outcome from all over the United States,” Roach said. “I am proud to see that people are using their voices. I have also seen a great amount of young Americans that have registered to vote, which I am proud of.” 

Helm said she believes the change and increase of voters during this election is beyond the situation of the current pandemic. 

“There’s been a lot for change in our country with diversity, the pandemic and hatred,” Helm said. “I see a lot of change with voting ages due to these circumstances.” 

Due to pandemic-caused changes such as mail-in voting counts and absentee ballots, the election hasn’t been officially called. As of 1:38 p.m., Biden holds 264 electoral votes and Trump holds 214, and with an undetermined waiting time for the final count of votes, Hoover said he feels the stress of the situation. 

“It’s a little scary [and] it’s almost a lose-lose situation,” Hoover said. “Nobody feels great about either of the candidates probably, so it’s just a little nerve-racking. I honestly thought Biden was going to sweep Trump, but it’s closer than anticipated, so it’s been really entertaining and stressful to watch.” 

The total voter turnout this year for Texas was 66%, according to the Texas Tribune, the highest turnout since 1992. In Williamson county alone, the number of ballots casted and turnout increased. In 2016, 205,862 ballots were casted with a 67.10% turnout and currently there are 288,771 ballots casted with a 74.99% turnout. 

While the ballots and voter turnout increased, Williamson county was one of two counties in Texas to turn blue during the election, with eight other counties flipping from blue to red. 

“There’s been so many more people that voted and it’s just [be]cause it’s so controversial,” Hoover said. “People want change, people don’t want change. It’s a wild year, it’s a wild election.”

Roach said the turnout for this election is a good representation of the passion many Americans hold for the United States and feels the importance lies in the change that will occur in future due to the new president. 

“[The election]  is a great showing of how passionate our country is and why every vote counts and not just in the presidential race, but in the House and Senate,” Roach said. “I hope people realize how lucky they are to live in America and the opportunity they have to vote, regardless of the outcome. I am a strong supporter of Trump and the Republican policies and values. I am happy that it appears we won the Senate and optimistic we will soon see the final results.” 

Despite her vote in the election, Schulle said she is not satisfied with her efforts. If Biden is elected, she said she will push for campaign promises to be fulfilled and change in the government, like a reform of the immigration process and abolishment of ICE. 

“I feel that by voting for Biden, I have done the bare minimum,” Schulle said. “By electing a president who fosters a culture that is a lot more tolerant and accepting of people from marginalized backgrounds, we are initiating the start of change, but we aren’t finalizing it. This is a ball that just started rolling and we need to put pressure on our elected officials once elected to actually follow through with their campaign promises and to adapt their platform to one that suits the American people.”