By: Dante de Jong
The signs are everywhere: Election Day is getting closer. A banner in your neighbor’s front yard, a debate overheard on the bus to school, headlines flashing on television screens. Millions of voters have already cast their ballots through the mail and in person. Everyone seems to have an opinion, but no one seems to know which candidate will emerge triumphant on Tuesday.
It can feel overwhelming — you, a high school student, have exams, homework, college applications, and life in general to worry about already. Whether you want it to or not, however, what happens on Election Day will affect everyone’s lives. The two leading candidates, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump, offer radically different visions of what our country could be under their administrations. The policies they implement in Washington will trickle down to every corner of the country, including Belmont — affecting everything from the price you’ll pay for gas when you learn to drive, to the federal tax your parents pay on their income, to what you learn in school, and whether you’ll feel safe there if someone could one day bring a gun. One thing is certain: the stakes are high.
Presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz host a campaign event in Philadelphia in August (Demetrius Freeman / The Washington Post via Getty Images).
Presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance stand together at an event in Grand Rapids, Michigan in July (Emily Elconin / Bloomberg via Getty Images).
What’s on the minds of Belmont students as we prepare to face the results?
“I’m most worried about how the election might impact mine and my family’s life as both an immigrant and a person of color,” said an eleventh grader who preferred to remain anonymous. “We moved here hoping to find opportunities in life, not to lose them.”
Immigration has been a topic of heated debate in this election — former president Trump has intensified his rhetoric on the subject, warning of migrant crime and calling for mass deportations. In December 2023, he declared at a rally in New Hampshire that illegal immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country.” Vice president Harris advocates for an earned pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, while also supporting a bipartisan bill that would give the president greater powers to shut down the border and close loopholes in the asylum process.
Belmont residents display various yard signs endorsing candidates (Dante de Jong / Belmont Highpoint).
Another student told me he was worried about the rights of queer people and the accessibility of gender-affirming care. GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis has warned in a statement that, after the election, “trans Americans will have to deal with the dangerous fallout from the shameful lies and misinformation that far too many political candidates are intentionally spreading.”
Shama Gongal, eleventh grade, said she was concerned about “political violence that could occur no matter the result.”
Indeed, experts are warning of possible conflict over disputed election results in battleground states. The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE) recently issued a new report analyzing worrying trends in online discourse that reflect those in the build-up to the last presidential election, which culminated in the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The threat of violence is not just online — in the past few months, there have been two attempted assassination attempts against former president Trump. Ballot drop boxes have been set ablaze in Washington, Oregon, and Arizona. A climate of tension could erupt in violent protests in battleground states as votes are counted. Fortunately, so far the threat of danger has been less prominent here in Belmont.
While fears of political violence, misinformation, and anti-immigrant rhetoric abound, optimism has also taken root. “I’m hopeful for a change in the country’s attitude, once all of this is over. I want to see a change after eight years of the same candidates and issues dominating the news every day,” said an anonymous junior. “It’s been half our lives already.” For many, this election may be a turning point in more ways than one.
Belmont residents display various yard signs endorsing candidates (Dante de Jong / Belmont Highpoint).
For that change to materialize, well, ballots speak louder than words — and Massachusetts voters are certainly doing their part. As of 4pm on October 28th, little more than a week before Election Day, over 1.1 million people (23.5 percent of registered voters in the state) have already voted early, according to the Commonwealth’s Secretary of State office. This year is likely to see record voter turnout nationwide.
Even if you can’t cast a ballot yet, there are numerous ways you can get involved in this final stretch — whether it’s volunteering for campaigns, making calls to voters, putting up a yard sign, spreading information, or talking with friends and family who can vote. Be sure to tune in on Election Day, and let’s mobilize the Belmont community to help get out the vote!
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