Story by Abigail Kramer
Staff Writer
Many students at Bishop Amat High School have already decided who they would support in the upcoming election if they could vote.
The support seems to mirror the findings of a national teen survey.
High schools across across the nation participated in VOTES, or Voting Opportunities for Teenagers in Every State.
VOTES held a mock election for at least two high schools per state in the United States allowing students to vote for whichever candidate they want.
Later the votes are counted and a “winner” is determined. It has shown that the teen voters picked the winner in five out of the past six elections.
This year, VOTES chose Democratic President Barack Obama to win the election, reflecting the idea that most high school students are more liberal than older voters. Obama received 52.2 percent of the popular vote and Republican challenger Mitt Romney earned 41.2 percent.
The president also won the electoral college 316 votes to 208.
“I support Obama because I support democratic views,” said Bishop Amat senior Erik Estrada.
Some said they would vote for Obama because of his past leadership.
“Obama did good in the four years he that he has been president and I think that he deserves another chance to be president for the next four years,” said freshman Cynthia Gonzales.
Still, many students at Bishop Amat who voiced their opinions said that they would vote for Romney.
“I support Romney because I think Romney would actually make changes in America unlike Obama who in his first four years as president really didn’t do anything outside of ObamaCare which is a great program but it’s not something that we should focus on now,” said senior Thomas Rivera.
Rivera argues that the economy is more important than Obama’s healthcare plan.
“We should focus on the economy, not healthcare,” said Rivera. “Romney has more experience in business and so he knows how to manage finance.”
Senior Olivia Mercado is also concerned for the economic plan of the country.
“I support Mitt Romney because he has an economic plan that can be implemented to get America back on its feet and rise to its standing as a great nation once again,” she said.
At Bishop Amat, aside from the economy, the issues that concerned students varied.
“The main issues that concern me are school budgets, immigration, and taxes because I feel that these decisions now could affect my life in the future,” said junior Natalia Estrada.
Other students were more practical in their choice.
“I support Obama because I agree with him more than I do with Romney,” Savannah Fimbres, a senior said.
A few said that they do not support either of the candidates.
“I don’t believe in any of the political parties because clearly all the presidents are just puppets of the political game,” said senior Corrina Acevedo.
Brandon Cortez, another senior, does not believe that the candidates will help the situation in the country.
“I don’t feel that any of the candidates will really do anything productive,” said Cortez.
