This upcoming election season has been a tumultuous one with candidates being bombarded with hate from both sides. Between Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, a choice must be made and for some young voters, Clinton is the obvious candidate.

In October, Clinton led Trump 56 percent to 20 percent in voters under 35 and 15 percent in women according to Pew Research Center.

It would seem that given the gap between both genders, finding support for Trump in the college-aged female demographic would be hard to come by. Not so.

“I strongly support the Republican party due to my personal values and the way I was raised.,” Junior Madison Kohn said in an email interview, “ I have shared posts on social media for my support for Trump in order to create political awareness and hopefully spark some conversation amongst my friends.”

Trump has alienated a large group of citizens with his comments toward women and its being reflected in the polls, showing him trailing Clinton in a number of demographics.

Kohn represents a key demographic in this election. A demographic Trump has been struggling to win over since his early campaigning.

“I can not stand for a woman who has let her husband control her personal and political life in various cases. To me, Clinton doesn’t represent a strong female role model,” Kohn said, “Being a female and supporting Trump doesn’t mean that I have to agree with some of his more inappropriate comments towards women.”

Clinton has accumulated a large percentage of the young voters in this election. It is no surprise the Democratic party attracts a large amount of young voters, scoring double digit victories among young voters in three consecutive elections, according to USA Today.

One must also consider where California Lutheran University sits as well. It is nestled in Thousand Oaks, a generally conservative town albeit the percentages between the two parties are pretty close according to City-Stats.org.

“This is my first election I will be able to participate in,” Moorpark college student Thomas Greene said. “I want to be able to make it count and to me, Clinton would be a wasted vote.”

Given this young perspective, it seems that this age group is influenced by social media more often than not.

Having a population of young students also allows Cal Lutheran to constantly check its opinions to those of others.

Active debate and discussion of todays topics is a powerful tool at students disposal and the internet has provided an outlet.

“I was surprised to find so many people my age involved in the election and actually care about it,” Kohn said in an email interview. “I was also surprised by the amount of Republicans on campus that have given me and others support. There have been times where I feel outnumbered but I don’t take it personally because everyone is entitled to their own opinions.”

When considering Cal Lutheran as simply another university, taking in other perspectives from other colleges or schools allows dialogue and a route of conversation in these politically intense times.

“I want Trump because his ideal America coincides with much of what I consider to my ideal America,” said Greene said. “What he has said [about women] bothers me to my core, but all that aside, I feel he is what America needs right now.”

To Greene, the ideal America is one that makes a mockery of the system that has beeen in place for centuries. How much of an embarrassment would it be to have a candidate who has been involved in several corruption allegations.

There will always be political disagreement as long as this system is still functional. What must never stop is the dialogue.

“It is so important to use your voice especially in this election. Go out and vote for what you believe in! Don’t let other people make a big decision for you,” Kohn said in an email interview.

No matter who wins this election, divisiveness should not define our generation.

Connor McKinney
Staff Writer