Searcy (LP) With the election coming soon in November, some students are paying close attention to the candidates and their political stances and they are learning about how much this election could impact their lives. The government has control of student’s education,

which is the biggest thing directly influencing their lives. Whoever becomes president will also be able to control things when it comes to social issues, immigration issues, and economic issues, which will almost certainly have some effect on pretty much everyone.

In a recent interview with Freshman, Harley Vaughn, he said, “I don’t really feel like it’s all that important to keep up with politics because it’s not like I could make an impact by knowing.” A growing number of students have adopted this mindset but they can definitely make an impact by being informed.

Even though most students will be unable to vote during this election, it is still extremely important for students to stay informed so that they will be more able to form their own intelligent opinions when it comes time for them to vote. According to Senior, Jericho Scott, “It is very important for high school students to pay attention to politics because it could impact their education or even affect their ability to get a job.”

It is also very crucial for students to pull their information from unbiased sources or from their own experiences because each issue could affect students differently. For instance, the new common core standards directly affect every student’s education, but it is a good thing for some students and teachers and a bad thing for others. Some schools have had to really stretch themselves in order to keep up with some more fast-paced schools, but it is actually holding other schools back. Scott also says, “Common core really threw everything off. It didn’t make anything better, just more difficult and tedious.”

One vital thing a student should look for when discovering their own political viewpoints is the facts. During this campaign, there have been so many lies told and lots of contradictory things have been said. Instead of just listening to what the media tells you or even the candidate, it is best to do some research because it is a known fact that politicians lie and stretch the truth to make them the favorable option. One of the best ways to do this is by looking at the way that they have voted in the past and looking at things that they have done consistently.