18-years-old, the legal age to vote. Some are influenced by the media, TV, what they hear in school and at home, and some think new voters should be more informed.                                                                                  

“I think social media has a bad effect because of all the bad qualities from both presidential candidates,” Senior, Keyonna Richards said. “But, if you don’t believe in what the media says, I think you should research more on the candidates, because it is a big factor in our lives.”

While students are getting their information from social media, Coach Scott Green, a government teacher at Rider, is trying to inform new voters the best that he can.

“For the last few weeks, we’ve gone over all the presidents, the electoral situation, and we’ve watched all three debates,” he said.

Richards explained that school has helped her to be more informed.  Especially with everyone expressing their opinions.

Though Richards gets most of her information from school, senior Jacob Martinez said he is influenced a lot by what he has seen on the news and heard on social media.

“Social media allows people to have their opinions out there, but it could change other people’s minds and make things seem worse than they really are,” he said.

While the media, TV, and school can inform voters, Green said family is also a big influence on who you vote.

“Family always affects who they vote for, because that’s what you hear every day, and those are the values they’re brought up on,” he said.

“I think new voters should be more informed, just so they know facts,” Richards said, “The media is a big factor and it’s only showing the bad sides. But, if they’re more informed and they know the right information, then they’ll know who to vote for.”