The presidential debates are heating up and the elections will be following shortly after. We have four candidates this year: Donald Trump running for the Republican Party, Hillary Clinton running for the Democratic Party, Jill Stein running for the Green Party and Gary Johnson Running for the Libertarian Party.

In the presidential primary held in Holbrook this past February, Donald Trump won the majority of republican votes while Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton were nearly tied. No independent candidates were included in this primary, but independent voters favored Senator Sanders 2-1. In the end, Clinton had the most votes overall, beating Sanders by only four votes.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are the remaining candidates for the democratic and republican parties respectively. Both have their fair share of problems to overcome such as Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns and the scandal surrounding Hillary’s supposed health concerns. Jill Stein of the Green Party and Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party have also been the subjects of controversy. Stein has been accused of vandalism that she allegedly took part in while protesting the North Dakota pipeline. Gary Johnson has also be criticized for not knowing what Aleppo is and where it is located (it is a key city in the war-torn country of Syria).

All of the candidates have their advantages and disadvantages and all voters should have an understanding of the issues at hand. Ontheissues.org is a website listing various statements from the candidates and their stances on different topics. It’s important to remember that young people still have a voice. We can be active in politics by educating others. Your voice can be a major influence and make the difference between your candidate winning or losing the election.