The United States of America is not united anymore. An unsettling predicament has torn society apart. Joe Biden or Donald Trump? The answer  may seem straightforward to most, but irreconcilable as a whole.

America is at a tipping point right now. The votes of 538 politicians determines the fate of 328.2 million Americans. In the next few weeks, the results will be tallied and a decision will be made on who the nation’s leader will be for the next four years. This is the most important Presidential Election in America’s history. 

With the rising death toll of the world pandemic Covid-19, over 230,000 American have died; some could say Trump is to blame. The economic crisis the US faces puts thousands of establishments in bankruptcy and many families in unemployment. It’s crucial to have a fit leader in office, someone who will do what is best for this country. The nation however is divided on who a better fit would be. According to BBC news, Biden was predicted to win with a vote prediction of 52% and Trump 44%. It seems as though Biden has an easy chance of winning, but in the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton was leading in National polls yet still lost the electoral college vote to Trump by 74 votes. Whether Joe Biden or Donald Trump wins, half of Americans will not be satisfied. 

America is divided right down the center. The 2020 election will be the closest election ever since 1968. Many people have strong opinions on whether Donald Trump or Joe Biden would be a better fit for office. It’s crucial for their side to win because of the problems facing America. The nation’s divide over the years has been getting worse and worse and it does not help that the media’s influence on politics contributes to this. When watching the news, it’s difficult to find an unbiased source, an outlet who can give you the real story. Instead, families are stuck to choose between Fox News which has been shown to be more conservative or CNN which is more liberal. American citizens are influenced to pick a side and be at conflict with anyone opposed. This has given politics a toxic reputation, “A voter for Trump is not a friend of mine” or “Sleepy Joe is no man for President.” These are some of many comments flooded throughout the internet about opposing sides. It seems as though the divide in politics is one of the major issues facing the US population.  

In Florida, Trump won by only 3.4% more votes than Biden and in Minnesota Biden won by 7.4% more votes. According to fivethirtyeight politics, Texas has had a huge shift, for the first time in decades. It’s a close call for the electoral votes, 50.3% are in favor of Trump, while 48.8% are in favor of Biden. The last time Texas voted blue was in 1976 for President Jimmy Carter. These states are just a few examples of swing states being divided, and losing to the other party by a small margin. The divide is not only on a national level, but even in small towns. In Ashburnham, Massachusetts, 1,982 people voted for Biden while 1,643 voted for Trump. Within neighborhoods the divide is evident, residents dispute on who should win. 

Surprisingly, it is not just adults getting involved in politics but young adults as well. Oakmont Debate Club, the newest club to Oakmont, started by Helen Yan and Ani Seppelin, took matters into their own hands and decided to poll students about their opinions. Aware that most students do not have a say in the upcoming election, they wanted the youth to have their voices be heard. A “ballet” was created with a poll and sent out to all the students/teachers at Oakmont Regional High School. The results are shocking. Similar to the election, just about half of Oakmont voted. When the polls were released, responses came nonstop. Oakmont students and teachers had 24 hours to vote. Out of 254 responses, 51.6% voted for Joe Biden, 40.5% voted for Donald Trump, and 8.3% voted for other candidates (Jo Jorgenson or Howie Hawkins.) Massachusetts is known to be more liberal, and happens to be the 3rd most Democratic state. It would be _ assumed more than 51.6% of students would vote for Biden, but this election at Oakmont shows even more evidence of a political split.    

 Oakmonts view on the 2020 presidential election (Poll done by Oakmont Debate Club) 

As a nation, the divide can cause many consequences. Vandalisms and protests are happening everywhere. How can a political view cause so much dispute? Many major cities have alerts and have boarded up stores in preparation, and streets are empty. Even our state’s capital is not a safe spot anymore. Towns, cities, counties, no one is on the same side. Predicaments that no matter who wins, riots will be bound to happen are in place. Will counties, citises, and  towns be able to accept who the winner is? If so, then why are all of the major cities boarded up? Some could say that boarding up stores influences violent riots. 2020 is a year for the books, and whether Trump or Biden win, America will still remain divided.