Olivia Vest
Managing Editor
This week, on Tuesday, Nov. 8, an incredibly impactful decision was made by the American people as we voted for the next president of the United States. At the time I was assigned this article, I was under the impression that I would be writing a piece on why our votes and our voices matter. I was planning on discussing the Electoral College, the popular vote, how they play in with one another and why the outcome of this election is vastly important.
Because I want to do my duty as a journalist, I will discuss the election, just as we should. I will discuss the Electoral College, and I will discuss why Donald J. Trump was chosen as president-elect. However, I will also discuss, to the dismay, perhaps, of many readers, what we should do with this information. I will discuss how we as a people will continue on under the direction of Trump and his running mate Mike Pence as our leaders, and the civil rights regressions we will most likely see as a nation.
To answer my first question: Why was Trump elected as future president when Hillary Clinton was chosen by the popular vote? This, in fact, is a very interesting component of our nation’s election process.
America has something called the electoral college, in which a body of 538 electors come together to choose the next United States president. The seemingly random number actually represents each state’s quantity of representatives and senators; 435 individuals vote in place of the state reps and 100 electors vote in place of senators, plus three District of Columbia constituents. These electors are appointed by each state’s political parties, meaning that, though the popular vote doesn’t directly choose the next president, the political party that wins in each state sends its electors to vote on behalf of that candidate/party in the Electoral College.
In Kansas, since our state voted “red,” our six Electoral College voters likely chose Trump, because the majority of our state’s popular vote went to the republican nominee. However, the confusion begins when you consider the fact that no law requires an Electoral College voter to fulfill their party’s pledge. This means that our electors have no mandate to vote for a republican in a red state or a democrat in a blue state, although this event has rarely occurred.
Because of the Electoral College, we now face the future with Trump leading us as the president of our nation. Please recognize the reality of this. Supporters and opponents of Trump alike, come together to realize the difficulties many groups (women, people of color, non-Christians, LGBTQ+ community members), will face under Trump’s reign.
Supporters and opponents, recognize that I, as a woman, fear for the justice I may or may not receive in the awful event of sexual harassment or abuse (which is not unlikely for myself or my female peers, as one in five women my age will be assaulted, according to the Washington Post).
Please recognize, readers, that hijab-wearing Muslim women fear for their lives in a nation led by Trump. Comparing our country to ISIS/ISIL has and never will be easier than it is now, under Trump’s impending presidency.
Realize, whether or not you support gay rights, that Mike Pence, Trump’s running mate, has voted to defer Indiana state funding towards electroshock and conversion therapy (according to Politifact and most other reliable sources). My LGBTQ+ friends fear for not only their basic rights but for their lives. And, quite frankly, they should.
Many readers of this paper, to be more blunt than I should be, are white conservatives. Please recognize that because of our race and pale skin, that we are more entitled than any other group of any other nation. We must use our undeniable privilege as members of an almost entirely non-discriminated faction, to be the voice of those demographics whose freedoms will potentially be shoved under the rug of importance. We must fight for civil rights in a time where many people fear for their lives and fear for their liberties.
