It is no secret that our campus leans towards political apathy, but that does not mean that there is not a vocal minority on our campus who fervently believe in their respective causes—on either side of the aisle. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump supporters on campus are often demonized for supporting either candidate, but this election is not the time to sit out and withhold a conversation simply because it can be uncomfortable to talk about the issues that will affect all of us. I decided to ask some vocal Hillary supporters to sum up why they will be voting for her in one to two sentences, and their responses overwhelmingly reflect the reasons as to why Hillary Clinton is the only choice for president.

From asking many Hillary supporters, three common themes emerged—Hillary is qualified, prepared and will bring our nation forward, rather than backwards, in the next four years. The following people summarized the reasons as to why we must elect Hillary Clinton and stop Donald Trump in his tracks. 

“Hillary Clinton is prepared—and to lead the government of the US, that is extremely necessary,” Owen Barnard ‘19 , Editor-in-Chief of Squared Politics, stated. “We are at an inflection point in our history, and the ability to produce meaningful progress in the middle of legislative gridlock puts her in a position to get results for everyday Americans.” Clinton has been involved in public service since 1973, when she began working for the Children’s Defense Fund. She has been a lifelong change agent in every position she has held, and I could write pages detailing all of her accomplishments.

Laura Murphy ‘19 talks of her progress—“I am voting for Hillary because I am confident that she has the knowledge and qualifications to run our country. Her tolerant and open-minded ideologies will help shape the future.” Our nation has gone too far to go backwards now. In the past 8 years, 9.9 million Americans have been provided with health care, a right that will undoubtedly be taken away if Hillary’s opponent wins the election. In 2015, same sex couples were guaranteed the right to marry in all 50 states. Her opponent pledges to appoint justices (the next president will likely appoint four new justices) that will overturn this decision, as well as Roe v. Wade. 

Eamon Stuckey ‘19 emphasizes this point in stating that, “This election is more about preventing stagnation in Washington and dangerous economic policies than personality politics. I am voting for Hillary Clinton for the sake of policy stances and the integrity of the Supreme Court, as well as to not go backwards on progressive reforms such as increased healthcare access.” 

This election goes beyond partisan politics. Donald Trump, besides being the most unqualified person to come this close to the Oval Office, has run a loathsome campaign largely based on fear and hatred. He has revealed the dark side of the American population through the use of his bigotry. 

 “I can’t vote for someone who gives a voice for people with hatred in their heart,” Alicia Cannon ‘19 said. 

“Hillary Clinton has devoted her life to serving the American people, and while she’s made some mistakes, they pale in comparison to what Donald Trump has done,” Wyatt Noble said.  “The man is a disgrace of a human being and someone I am ashamed to call a fellow American.” 

This election is not Republican vs. Democrat. It is not Hillary’s platform vs. Trump’s platform. The integrity of our nation is at risk. With the election of Donald Trump, the United States will undoubtedly lose international respect. We ought to be scared of Donald Trump. He is currently the biggest threat to our nation, and we have the power to stop him on Nov. 8th. Hillary is not perfect in any way. She has made many mistakes in her 40 years in the public eye. Her mistakes, however, do not come close to justifying a Trump presidency. If you care about our nation, about progress and about not letting hate win, vote for Hillary Clinton next Tuesday.