Several seniors whose houses rest close to West High conveniently found that the high school was their designated voting location.
Yesterday, several seniors claimed their birthright as they participated in their first election. And even though they were new to the scene, these seniors were ready for the challenge that voting poised.
“I have always been a politics nut so I read as much as I can about both sides of the issue [before voting],” said Nikolai Hlebowitsh ’11, a voting-eligible senior.
Katherine Yang ’11, also a recent voter, agrees, saying that to prepare for the election she went on the candidates’ websites in order to make an informed decision.
“I felt like i was an adult doing my part and being responsible for myself,” said Yang about the experience of voting for the first time.
Rhya Ajam ’11, a senior voter, agreed, adding that having to act like an adult made her feel “both excited and awkward.”
Although now the polls are closed and voting is done, earlier in the day, Hlebowitsh didn’t seem optimistic for his party.
“I definitely feel that the Democrats are going to get destroyed this election,” said Hlebowitsh. According to him, the Democratic Party’s voice has been stifled in the face of many controversial issues.
And he had reason to be worried – the Democrats lost the House majority and many formerly Democratic seats within states have been turned over to Republicans such as Chet Culver-D’s governor seat moving to Terry Branstad-R.
