PULSE OF THE VOTERS: First-time voters eye best of 'two bad options'

Mar. 31—TRAVERSE CITY — Some Traverse City Area Public Schools students will be casting ballots for the first time in November.

And, while they're excited to vote in a presidential election, their feelings about the candidates are tepid at best. In fact, when it comes down to what looks like a replay of 2020, the students called it picking the best of "two bad options."

Even so, Traverse City West Senior High School students Cooper Phillips, Cameron Niezgoda and Dillion Christensen, along with Ainsley Caspers, Emma Newman-Bale, Addison Booher, Bella Mast, and Kristen May from Traverse City Central High School, agreed it's important for Americans to vote this November.

"I'm excited to be participating in my first election because I feel like I'm really doing something," Mast said.

Caspers said she and her classmates who are eligible to vote are amped up to do so this fall. "For us women, it was just over 100 years ago that we gained the right to vote, and so I feel obligated to exercise that right."

"I feel it's about fulfilling an obligation as an American," Phillips said. "Even though one person's vote may seem insignificant, the community should come together to voice their opinions."

"I'm excited, because I've been thinking for a long time about how nice it's going to be to voice my thoughts on what's going on," Niezgoda said. "It can also be scary, because sometimes it doesn't seem like the candidates really care — on either side."

"For the last 18 years, a lot of our decisions have been made for us," Booher said. "So the opportunity for us to make a difference and create change is huge."

Christensen said, "I've spoken to people who will complain about different persons in government, but when I ask them who they voted for, they'll say, 'Oh, well, I didn't vote.' So you can't really complain when you didn't even participate or vote to make a change."

Newman-Bale said it's important for her generation to speak up, to balance out the views of older generations. "The younger generations had a much different lifestyle growing up, so we have a lot of different opinions varying from those who are 60 to 70 years old. There's a big age gap between ourselves and the candidates. It'd be nice to have someone that understood our generation, too."

Phillips said that the polarization between political parties may contribute to the exhaustion some feel about participating. "It's hard for some young voters to fully identify with either side of the aisle," he said. "I consider myself independent, left-learning, but I can't bring myself to fully identify with either the Democrat or Republican party."

Christensen said most young people aren't taking sides; they're growing more independent.

Caspers agreed that it seems like young people are aligning themselves with less extreme political views. "I think more people of our generation identify as moderate," she said. "Even if you lean one way more than the other, you don't find as many that agree with everything — on one side or the other.

"It seems like everyone else is so polarized, we have to be that balanced center."

When it comes to the important issues facing the nation today, groups from both schools acknowledge that concerns vary between generations, ranging from abortion rights to foreign policy, student loan forgiveness and the current state of the economy.

"Roe v. Wade is one, for sure," Niezgoda said. "When that was overturned, I know my sister was very upset. I may be a man, and not able to fully understand her feelings on [abortion rights], but I can understand the fear with one's rights being taken away."

The five Traverse City Central students agreed that abortion is an important issue they will consider when voting in November.

May said men shouldn't be making those decisions for women. "They aren't the ones that can get pregnant," she said. "I don't understand why it's up to them — and not those who are affected most."

Caspers added that foreign affairs, particularly in the Middle East and the conflict between Israel and Hamas, are important. "My dad is an Air Force veteran, so to see the way Biden handled Afghanistan just set me over the edge," she said. "I'm very nervous about our current state of world affairs."

Christensen said another hot topic is immigration, and what's taking place at the U.S-Mexico border. "I think we're seeing politicians, both Republican and Democrat, agreeing that something needs to be done about border security."

Niezgoda also said the economy is an important consideration. "I'm not well-versed in this, but you hear all the time how they say the debt ceiling is climbing higher, and the economy is going to collapse, and I hear my grandpa say we have to rely more on American products ...But I think it's all super-confusing, and I don't think any voter truly has a grasp of what's going on — especially young voters like myself.

"Right now, I don't have a mortgage; I don't have utilities to pay or any of that; so I don't feel like I can have a true opinion on the economy, but I have to vote for the direction that it goes," Niezgoda said. "My grandparents, I know, are thinking about whether or not they're going to get enough money [for Social Security]."

"Each generation does have its own views on what's most important to them," Mast said. "For us, we're about to go to college, so financial aid and how we're going to pay tuition is going to be important to a lot of us."

As for the presidential candidates, the students' views are mixed.

"I don't care for either presidential candidate," Niezgoda said. "But it feels like a joke."

Christensen said that though he, too, doesn't care for either candidate or their characters, he's looking at policies, not personalities.

"If Trump is the GOP nominee, I'm going to support him. But I don't do it on blind faith. I don't care for things that he's said, but I believe in his policies. He's willing to be a bully on the world stage to get what benefits the United States."

Booher said it's hard to pick because, no matter where one is on the political spectrum, assumptions tend to be made. "As a right-leaning woman, I feel like it's hard to share that because, whether you're left or right,... if you share that, people assume you're pro-Trump or pro-Biden."

When it comes to the possible re-election of President Joe Biden, Niezgoda heaved a heavy sigh. "I understand that Biden has been in government for a long time, and started around the time my Dad was born (1972), so he does have experience, which gives me a good feeling. But the age of both candidates is concerning ... like, they might die."

"If can't make it up the stairs on your own, you probably shouldn't be president," Caspers said.

Both Phillips and Niezgoda said they would be voting for Biden in November.

Newman-Bale said she would vote for Biden, but hopes to see people with a younger outlook serving in Congress. "I am leaning left with my vote, but I'm not a fan of either candidate. I just dislike Trump more than I dislike Biden," she said. "We need fresh people, people who are more aware of all the generational needs."

Christensen said he's opting for Trump, and Caspers, Mast, and Booher said they're leaning toward Trump, but aren't 100-percent certain yet.

"It's contingent on what happens between now and then," said Caspers, adding that Trump might be a bad person person who did a better job, while Biden might be a better person who is doing a worse job. "So you have to pick what you'd rather have."

May said the country needs a fresh face. "We just need someone new, I think it would be awesome if we had a female for a change."

"It's pathetic that this is what we have to choose from," said Booher.

"Neither side wants to work together," Phillips said. "There's just so much hatred and no respect in our government."

"We're just having a repeat of four years ago," Caspers said. "It doesn't make sense to me. It was bad before ... why are we doing it again?"

"I think it's even more reason for all age groups, and younger people to get out there," Booher said. "If you want to have a say in something that's going on that affects where you are in your life ... it's going to be important to vote this November."