The great American Tradition hits Waxahachie High once again. 

The 2024 election, a 4-year tradition that often is described as “polarizing,” “confusing,” and “divisive,” is well underway. 

This year’s election is a battle between Kamala Harris, a former Senator from California, federal prosecutor and vice president under President Biden. Her running mate is Tim Walz, a former teacher, Army National Guard soldier, and governor of Minnesota. Together, they hope to win the presidency for Democrats from the incumbent Joe Biden. 

On the other side of the political spectrum, we have Donald Trump, a businessman, actor and entrepreneur from New York and former president of the United States from 2016 to 2020. He is joined by his running mate J.D.Vance, a senator from Ohio. Together, they hope to regain the presidency from Democrats and ensure a Republican victory.

As shown by the latest presidential debate, the biggest issues in this year’s election include topics such as immigration, abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, and the economy just to name a few. 

After speaking with students at WHS, it is clear the economy is on a lot of people’s minds. 

“The prices… the prices,” junior Devin Edwards said. 

Edwards wasn’t the only student who spoke of the economy as a make-or-break issue for who they supported politically. Mrs. Christina Verdin, an AP U.S. government and politics teacher, weighed in with knowledge of the economy. 

“They (Harris and Biden) don’t control the money supply… That’s the ‘Fed’ and people don’t understand,” Mrs. Verdin said. 

Beliefs and knowledge or lack thereof of the economy and how it operates could swing this election either way. 

This election year, the impact of social media is unprecedented as apps such as TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram allow candidates (and often celebrities) to reach millions of potential voters, spreading their ideas and motives as well as “dissing” their opponents. The speed at which this information is spread is paramount to a candidate’s success, especially amongst many Gen-Z and Millennial voters. 

Students echoed social media as the main platform they receive news, whether it’s verified or not. Senior Denis Maiz-Flores said she got the most information about the candidates from “Tiktok and some other random places” while AP U.S. government and politics teacher Mrs. Brittany Claypool-Johnson said she received most information from credible places: “A source of different news channels… and a variety of news sources.” 

The diverse sources of media and information consumed by the teachers and students here at WHS represent the way political information is consumed, a trend that could result in never-before-seen changes in the political landscape of our state.