November 8th, 2016 was one of the most impacting elections the U.S has seen. Some seniors at Wiregrass Ranch High School (WRHS) were able to be a part of this huge event by voting for the first time.

The winner of the 2016 election has the ability to make a big change in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court currently is balanced with four Democrats and four Republicans. Our 45th president may have the chance to sway the court in his party’s favor for the next 50+ years.

Many voters can agree that this was an important election, including Kwamin Marshall, a senior at WRHS.        

“Yes it was an important election. It is not only reflective of the rise in populism and nationalism in both the United States and other nations, but also a statement that previous “establishment” tactics used to gain the support of the electorate may not be nearly as useful,” explains Marshall.

Trump won the election with 290 electoral votes (20 extra), although Clinton won the popular vote. The Republicans also won the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House. Trump managed to take many swing states and that got him the win. He won Florida, which voted Republican +1% more than Democratic, also Pennsylvania on the same margin. This gave him 29 electoral votes from Florida, and 20 from Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania has not voted Republican since 1992. There seems to be a silent majority of Trump supporters who did not publicly show that they support Trump and made the polls sway more democratic, but when it came to voting day, they voted for Trump.

Seniors of Wiregrass Ranch High School say their voting experience was pretty smooth and uneventful at the polls.

“It was very quick, cool, sort of underwhelming,” stated Marshall.

Some felt that it was satisfying, being able to influence the future of our country.

“It felt like a satisfying milestone [as] an American,” said Kyle Harris, a senior at WRHS.

Both candidates are massively different and voters chose candidates based on their policy and their stance on many of of the main issues such as immigration, gun rights, healthcare, tax, military, and more. Trump won the election in Pasco County with 58.9% of the votes compared to Clinton’s 37.4%.

“I voted for Clinton,” explains Marshall. “I agreed with her policies on education, the economy, LGBTQ+ rights, and the criminal justice system, among others.”

While some are upset at the results of the recent election, WRHS students are thankful for the opportunity to participate in democracy.

“I feel that I am satisfied that democracy works!” says Harris.