Once every four years, there is a time where Americans are both at a point of both great unity and fierce division. The presidential elections are an integral part of our democracy and it defines how the country will be run for the next four years.

The nation is about to reach this time, as the primaries for both parties are up and running, including a big primary day: Super Tuesday.

Tuesday, March 3, also known as Super Tuesday, is very important for any candidate looking to win their party’s nomination. According to Ballotpedia, a total of fifteen jurisdictions, as well as Americans in other countries, will be voting on Super Tuesday, including Colorado. This makes up forty percent of the American population voting on this day. This means this day can make or break the campaigns of many candidates.

This primary cycle will see Donald Trump go nearly uncontested to the Republican Party’s nomination, and he has a clear pathway to the general election in November. The Democratic field, on the other hand, is crowded with 17 candidates on Colorado’s ballot. This has led to a tightly contested race where candidates need to get big wins in states for their campaigns to remain viable.

After the first three elections, where Pete Buttigieg won Iowa and Bernie Sanders won New Hampshire and Nevada, notable names, such as Colorado Senator Michael Bennet, have already dropped out.

Colorado conducts its primary, unlike many other states, as the primary ballots are sent in the mail. This helps get more voters because it does not require people to go wait at a physical location to get in their vote.

Despite this, in the most recent presidential election, 2016, only sixty percent of eligible voters participated, according to FairVote. In the 2018 mid-term elections, only fifty percent of voters did vote and that low number is up 13 points from the 2014 mid-term elections.

Social studies teacher Charles Schwartz said, “Firstly, people should vote because it is an important right that America worked for. It is also the strongest force for change, so when people are unhappy with what is happening, that is their biggest voice for change.”

Schwartz is planning to vote in the primary and he believes it is important for potential voters to engage in a dialogue, especially with people that they probably won’t agree with.

Schwartz said, “It is important to know both sides to an argument and you cannot close yourself off to new ideas.”

At Air Academy, there will be a group of students who are eligible to vote for the first time. Due to the general election being in November, anyone who is seventeen, but will turn eighteen by the general election, will be able to vote in the primaries coming up.

Senior and first-time voter Heather Buescher said, “I think it’s an American right to vote and I’m pretty educated in politics, so I want to put my voice out there.”

For voters, it is important to them that they are able to express their opinions and ideas through the electoral system and have a real say in what happens.

Senior Abby Cole said, “I think it’s a privilege and a right to be able to participate in our government. It is our duty as citizens to vote responsibly and help the good of our nation. It’s a really amazing process that people have fought and died to protect, so it’s the least I can do to utilize my freedom.”

The election process is a large part of what this country was founded on and it continues to be a right for most Americans. This election takes the foreground, as this country goes through a period of turmoil and it is one where Air Academy’s own get to have a say in what happens.