With the 2008 presidential election right around the corner, time is running out to become acclimated with the candidates and their plans for the future of our country. In November, many students at MCDS will have the opportunity to vote in a presidential election, an experience unknown to most high school students seeing that most students are under the age of twenty two.

While John McCain has the Republican nomination locked, the Democratic race is going to come down to the wire between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. The neck-and-neck race will be decided in the final Democratic primaries and, most likely, by the Democratic Party’s “super delegates”. What are super delegates and why are they so important? Super delegates are automatically seated party officials at the Democratic Convention who are free to vote for the candidate of their choice. These highly influential delegates will likely play a mammoth role in the selection of this year’s candidate to run in the general election.
In a poll conducted among a random sample of high school students at MCDS, 55% chose Barack Obama, 21% were for Hillary Clinton, and 24% selected John McCain. These results are likely to change drastically when either Obama or Clinton is eliminated.
Many wonder the role of the Young Democrats and what the group will be doing come election time; however, lacking a single Democrat to support provides difficulty for the group. “I have spoken with a couple of students in the club and who are interested in joining who want to help the group become more active once the Democrats have nominated a candidate. But with the ongoing primary between Obama and Hillary, it makes it much harder for the group to come together and actively support a candidate,” said club sponsor, Mr. Melamed. Without a doubt, the upcoming election will demonstrate an uprising in student political awareness because of opportunities to vote and the actions of the Young Democrats.
While only a few MCDS students will reach the voting age of eighteen before the election, many others will still support a candidate and will follow the election closely. Regardless of which candidate is elected, many students will be content with change in our country.