At GBHS, where political debates often spark more heat than light, a recent student poll shows that even in a Republican county, the winds of change are blowing a little leftward.

As Election Day is fast approaching, abortion and economic concerns are key issues among students at GBHS. With many students voicing strong opinions, it’s clear that their perspectives are shaped by family backgrounds, financial realities, and shifting political dynamics.

One of the most heavily weighed issues this election season is abortion. That is no different on the GBHS campus; over a third of respondents stated it as “very important” to them in a Granite Bay Today poll.

“My grandmother wasn’t able to get an abortion, and so she kind of influenced our whole idea with that process,” Jacquelyn Hernandez, a senior at GBHS, said, “ It’s a woman’s body. The government has no control over a man’s body.”

However, students disagree on what would be an acceptable law to pass and at how many weeks an abortion ban be instated, if one should be instituted at all. The discrepancies between candidates’ actual opinions on abortion and how they are portrayed in the media is also a point of contention.  

“I think there’s a huge misconception that Trump is super hateful against abortion,” Noah Javier, a senior at GBHS, said, “During the debate, he talked about how he was okay with exceptions, like if a woman gets raped, and stuff on top of that, he’s never been supportive of banning abortion. He’s supportive of giving it to states.”

Some students think abortion would be a deciding factor for their parents and eventually them. This is a very passionate topic for people on both sides of the issue, especially when it comes to the religious considerations that form some people’s opinions.

“I would ask Kamala Harris why she feels it’s okay to kill a baby, like pass a law that kills a baby,” Makenna Williams, a sophomore at GBHS, said, “I would ask her how that demonstrates your body if it’s another person inside somebody.”

Another important issue in this election cycle is the economy. Many students feel that the Biden administration has been accompanied by record inflation, though there is a lower unemployment rate than the Trump administration, and they look to both candidates to define themselves on the issue and come up with an economic plan.

“Right now we have really high inflation, the highest inflation our country’s really seen in a while. And I think that’s super duper important. I think of all like, you can talk about social issues and stuff, but economics is super fundamentally within all topics, to be honest,” Javier said.

Many people disagree with Trump’s plan as well as the Biden administration’s handling of the economy. Trump proposed various plans which have included raising tariffs on imported goods and he did use tariffs during his administration, especially on goods imported from China.

“He said he would impose a tariff that would lower prices for the average person. And I really want to ask where he got that information from,” an anonymous source said, “I’m not sure that’s how it works.”

People were also concerned about how some of Kamala Harris’s positions have changed. Kamala Harris has changed her positions on how to handle several key issues from when she ran in the Democratic primaries in 2020, and many people want her to make her positions clear as well as clarify the reason for changing them. People also want to know what the changes she is proposing from the Biden administration.

“She stated multiple times that she is a different candidate than Biden, and she is different, but she really doesn’t go into more detail of what makes her different than her predecessor,” Fzeel Johar, a sophomore at GBHS, said.

Though it wasn’t one of the deciding factors in the poll, some people have been concerned about Trump’s online persona. The former president has often been criticized for comments he has made online, and some people regard his nature as volatile.

“Donald Trump is, personally, I do not agree with some of the things, like tweets and stuff. I think he’d still be the President if he didn’t use his Twitter account like how he does,” Michael Rowe, a junior at GBHS, said.

Ultimately, what many students have expressed is a need for respect. Whether their views are Republican or Democratic, they want to be able to declare what their beliefs are without fear of blow back.

Staff Perspective