Students hope their research will make you an informed voter

November 3, 2016
KY3

The election is now five days away and though we’ve heard a lot about the candidates for president, how much do you know about the other candidates you’ll see on the ballot November 8th?

Students at Glendale High School want you to be an informed voter before you head to the polls. Juniors in Glendale’s Quest program have been working for weeks researching every candidate involved in this year’s election and their position on issues like gun legislation, education and the economy.

The students say they gathered their information from the candidates’ backgrounds and voting histories, rather than from their party or from political ads.

“That information’s probably going to be biased because they’re going to want you to vote for that candidate and decisions that help them, this is just strictly informing the voters so they can make the best decision that helps them,” said Arend Galland.

These students aren’t old enough to vote, but they want to help those who are.

“We’re not able to vote and I think that makes it easier for us because we don’t really have a bias, and we don’t have a say, really, in this election,” said Madison Stewart. “So it’s really better to get the information out there for the people who can vote. They have a say, whereas we don’t.”

The students also created a website for easy access to information. The website, along with other resources, will be on display for a “Know Your Candidates” event tonight at Glendale High. Student Jacob Anderson said he hopes the two-hour event will help create informed, knowledgeable voters.

“You have to know what each candidate is going to do for either your county, your state, or your national government because they’re the ones who run things, they’re the ones who vote on things and they’re the face for our country,” he said.

“A lot of people are just supporting a certain candidate because of their party. And that’s not how it should be because all the different candidates have different values and policies that they believe in,” Steward added. “So I hope that they actually learn about the candidate they want to vote for.”

The “Know Your Candidates” event is from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. tonight in the commons area at Glendale High School. Students will set up stations for each race and will have handouts and sample ballots available.