What started with a crowded field of more than 20 Democrats vying to unseat President Donald Trump has been narrowed down to just two candidates – former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
After the latest round of primary elections, Biden is leading Sanders by more than 300 delegates, according to the Associated Press, and is moving closer to securing the necessary 1,991 delegates to win the party’s nomination.
Trump, meanwhile, has already nabbed enough delegates to win the Republican nomination, reports the Associated Press.
When it comes to the voting, Salt Lake Community College students express varying opinions on the importance of their ballots come Election Day.
For Erin Howell, a pre-med health science major, the candidates’ views on key issues have been a driving factor.
“There’s a lot at stake [and] I would vote for Bernie Sanders for various reasons,” she said, noting how she thinks Sanders’ policies would benefit the American people as a whole by abolishing ICE, more evenly distributing wealth and providing free healthcare for all.
Braden Familar, a civil engineering major, says he isn’t paying much attention to politics or the presidential race. He hasn’t ruled out a possible candidate though, should it come to the choice of the finalists.
“I know some of the people running for president, and that’s about it,” he said. “I have not registered to vote … but if I were to choose someone, I think I would choose Bernie Sanders.”
Sanders won the Utah primary on Super Tuesday with 35.3% of the vote, followed by Biden with 18.5% of the vote, according to results from the Associated Press.
Landon Ervin, another civil engineering major, said he also leans toward Sanders, though he didn’t vote in the Utah primary.
“My interest over the election hasn’t been high, as I don’t admire the way it divides others,” he said. “But I do wish to get more involved. I want to become more aware of something so vital to my everyday life and see the way my choices in politics impact the world around us.”
Sanders has been a favorite among young voters since the 2016 election, despite losing the nomination to Hillary Clinton that year.
According to a PBS NewsHour article, “Sanders banked on young voters.” But, also according to NewsHour, young voters have not turned out for the Vermont senator in the same numbers as they did in 2016.
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the next primary elections in Alaska, Hawaii and Wyoming originally scheduled for April 4 will be held by mail-in ballot only. Several other states have delayed their primaries.
Wisconsin plans to hold its primary election, with in-person voting, on April 7.
