Maddie McGee & Rebecca Schmidt
Although the Hereford Zone is a notoriously Conservative community, the Harbinger has found that an overwhelming amount of students consider themselves Independent. In a recent survey distributed to seniors, students revealed their political views and opinions on the 2012 election. Out of 116 students, 64 are declared Republicans, 37 are affirmed Independents, and 15 are confirmed Democrats. The dynamics of the Hereford community are changing.
“I am a registered Independent, because both parties are corrupt,” Ryan Rosen (12) said. Out of the surveys answered truthfully, 35 people said that they wouldn’t vote for President Obama or Governor Romney. Although Jon Chalker (12) is a registered Independent, he said he would vote for “Obama because he has already been in office for four years.” An anonymous student stated, “I don’t think either of the candidates are qualified enough to be a good president.”
Although the results revealed a large number of Independent voters, Social Studies teacher Mrs. Terese Trebilcock said, “I’m not surprised; I think that most people’s political views are not in line with any single political party.”
The Democrats of Hereford are outnumbered, but they have their own strong opinions. “Although I don’t know enough of economic standpoints, I feel strongly enough about social views to vote for Obama,” Maggie Gutburlet (10) said. Maggie is pro-choice and agrees with Obama’s views on the subject.
However, many students still support the Republican party, the dominant party in the Hereford area. In an anonymous comment on the survey, a student stated, “I think Obama had a fair chance to save the US and hasn’t done very well.”
Another student stated, “Obama had his chance and didn’t do anything productive.”
Out of 129 responses about following political politics, 36 people said that they regularly do, while 62 students follow politics sometimes in order to stay updated on the current issues that the candidates feel strongly about. However, 31 students surveyed do not follow politics at all.
Sixty-two students out of 121 answered that they share similar views with friends; whereas, 49 people stated that they did not have the same political views as their friends. Numerous students do not talk politics with their friends with 81 never discussing their views with their peers.
