Straight out of Options

Straight Out of Options

The upcoming 2016 presidential election has presented a unique opportunity for Americans to decide the future of this nation. Despite conflicting political views, we can all agree that we wish to see this nation succeed and generate an era of prosper. The downturn of the economy and prevalent racial tensions have further increased the necessity of voting in 2016. In an effort to discover the motivations behind particular voting trends, I interviewed 15 UCSB undergraduate students. The data collected proved that students weren’t voting inside party lines. Instead, they displayed intense frustration towards there own registered party. The data also indicated that many individuals desired one particular candidate, but voted otherwise. Throughout the interview process, it became apparent that outside forces were skewing political outlooks drastically.

As it stands, the Republican party is currently fighting an internal struggle to abide by the very principles it was founded upon. Multiple leading conservatives and wealthy benefactors of the Republican Party have opted out of supporting Donald Trump. Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush, and Paul Ryan are just a few of the many individuals refusing to endorse Mr. Trump. In fact, there is a movement by prominent members of the party to support the democratic nominee, in an effort to save the face of the Republican Party. Most recently, John McCain admitted to “feeling the bern” and says that Bernie Sanders would be an ideal candidate. The refusal of Donald Trump to denounce former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke, intensified the abandonment of his campaign by other party members. He has also aimed multiple attacks against his fellow Republicans. To top it off, he continues to promote racist rhetoric and incite violence throughout his rallies. This is just one of the many actions, that has infuriated the political establishment and the American people.

In addition, the Democratic Party is fighting multiple allegations of corruption and extreme favoritism. Despite the thousands of followers Bernie Sanders has attracted, the main stream media continues to disregard his accomplishments. At the same time, Hilary Clinton has remained the center of attention despite her poll numbers severely plummeting. The very news networks and media corporations insisting that “Bernie Sanders is unelectable”, are the same corporate sponsors donating tremendous amounts of money to the Hilary Clinton Campaign. This has infuriated voters on both sides, and has sparked multiple repercussions. For one, there is a “Bernie or bust” movement insisting that individuals will abstain from voting in the general election, if Bernie Sanders is not declared the democratic nominee. On the other hand, there are individuals that have been manipulated by the media into voting for Hilary Clinton because they are scared of Donald Trump. The interesting thing, is that on the newest fox poll, Bernie Sanders is the only candidate beating Donald Trump by a substantial margin. To top this off, even Donald Trump has openly stated that the system is rigged against Bernie Sanders. As Bernie Sanders continues to gain momentum, Hilary Clinton is exposing her true colors. Her political ideologies have not been consistent, and when challenged with difficult questions, she disregards them. Currently, she refuses to debate Senator Sanders despite saying “We should fight for every vote can”. As usual, the media continues to throw shade at Bernie Sanders, but disregards the unfortunate truths about Hilary Clinton.

During the interview process, I ensured that each individual felt comfortable when completing their survey. I chose to conduct my interviews at The Arbor, because I believe it was my best chance of collecting a random sample. Essentially, I interviewed every fifth individual passing Woodstock’s Pizza during the hours of of 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm. Throughout the day, students of every background pass through this area. Each interview conducted had an average length of 5 to 10 minutes. The one commonality between most people is that they were generally liberal. The students showed enthusiasm and excitement while being interviewed about the upcoming 2016 presidential election. One of the many factors restricting potential answers, was how personal you could get with the questions. Typically, it isn’t orthodox for individuals to open up about sensitive topics, especially during interviews with a stranger. However, this crucial information could unravel deeper connections and correlations about why a particular voting block makes certain decisions. I understand that certain people might be inclined to vote a particular way, but I don’t know all