As the votes roll in on Election Day 2016, we interviewed Robinson students and teachers on who they voted for and their opinion on the importance of voting in the election.

Sarah Sanford, science teacher
Q: Who did you vote for and why?
A: “Hilary. I think she has a lot of well-rounded experience being first lady and secretary of state. Some people disagree with some of her choices, I think if you stack all the good that she’s done as opposed to all the mistakes that she’s made the good outweigh the mistakes. When you look at the alternative candidate [Trump] I have trouble putting my country in the hands of someone who tends to fly off the handle at minor things. I also don’t think its appropriate to have someone lead our nation that’s disrespectful of large portions of society”

Q: Why do you think it is important to vote?
A: “Voting is important because it’s the easiest way we can directly impact our own futures, without the ability to vote you don’t have representation in our government. It is the way we shape the world that we live in”

Nick Hearing (’17)
Q: Who would you vote for and why?
A: “Donald Trump, because mostly Hilary’s failures after about 30 years in office and under her husband Bill Clinton especially on their failures [in] foreign service … Russia has made this world a lot more dangerous [with] her actions.”

Q: Why do you think it is important to vote?
A: “I think it is because if you don’t vote you don’t have the right to complain about who is in office because in that situation you didn’t put your vote in so even if you would’ve voted for that person you can say the countries in bad shape if you didn’t do anything to change it.”

Manuel Montero, Physics teacher
Q: Why do you think it is important to vote?
“It’s the only voice you have as a citizen unless you’re going to be an activist and even if you’re an activist you really don’t do anything until you get people to vote”

Donald Pippin, Psychology teacher
Q: Why do you think it is important to vote?
A: “We choose to vote in this country for the simple fact that we share passion…People who don’t vote or willingly giving their power to other people often who are more zealous in their beliefs. People who choose not to vote are letting the extremes win we need to moderate them, I think we see that in this election. God help us all.”

Emma Duffey (’17)
Q: Who did you vote for and why?
A: “Hilary. I just like her views better and I just don’t like Donald Trump as a person, I don’t like the views he has on women’s rights specifically.”

Q: Why do you think it is important to vote?
A: “I think its important for everyone to vote just because it’s an important right we have as Americans. We shouldn’t force people to vote if they don’t want to vote, because we shouldn’t have to make someone pick a person they don’t want to vote for.”

Mary Bell, English teacher
Q: Who did you vote for and why?
A: “Hilary. She’s not a crazy person who is a misogynistic, racist, bigoted, nutball. I think that she’s been treated so unfairly, I really do, and I think that she is a very competent and if she is elected she’ll do a great job. I think Donald Trump is the biggest joke that has ever been floated in the candidacy in the history of our country.”

Q: Why do you think it is important to vote?
A: “In the country we live in, if you don’t vote shut your mouth. If you’re not going to vote and exercise that right, then you don’t have any right to complain [and] you don’t have any right to say that the elected official should be doing something.”