Super Tuesday takes place on March 1, and many seniors and staff will be participating.
“Super Tuesday is basically where many US states hold primary elections,” senior Clayton Bilke said. “This year I will be voting on March 1st, probably somewhere locally.”
Thirteen states will be holding either Republican or Democrat or both primaries on Super Tuesday. There will be 1,460 total delegates up for grabs on Tuesday (865 for Democrats, 595 for Republicans), an an additional 150 “superdelegates” for Democrats. “Superdelegates” are unpledged, meaning they are free to vote however they want at the national convention. Including superdelegates, 22 percent of all delegates are on the line for Super Tuesday.
“Primary season helps to determine who the candidates will be in November,” AP government teacher Jeff Roberts said. “The Texas primary is different this year because we have a senator who is running for president. On the Democratic side there are two who will probably receive most of the votes. Depending on whether it’s an open or closed primary determines how moderate or stratified the candidates will be. Texas is an open primary state which means you can walk in and vote for whoever you want, but some states you have to register as a Democrat or Republican to vote.”
Democratic candidates need 2,383 delegates to secure the nomination. Republican candidates need 1,237 delegates.
Making the decision on who to choose in the Texas primaries can be stressful for many voters, but where to vote is now the easiest part due to many local polling locations.
There are now numerous locations where votes can be submitted in the area, including the Lovejoy ISD Administration Building.
“I think it is really cool that our school offers a place for us to vote locally,” senior Rachel Willmann said. “Since I turn 18 this year I can vote.”
Many seniors are eager to participate in this right of passage for the first time.
“I think this experience is exciting the first time because you feel like you’re contributing to something important for our nation and it teaches the youth to be involved in politics,” senior Beau Weiss said.
Voting will take place at the polling location of the voter’s choice on March 1. A new requirement when voting in person is that photo identification is now mandatory.
“I don’t think it’s a big deal that we need photo identification because almost everyone has a license since that has a picture on it, anyone can use that,” senior Ian Engbrock said.
While the Republican and Democratic presidential ballots have gotten the most attention, a number of other offices and some resolutions will also be decided by voters. Examples of ballots can be found on Collin County’s Democratic and Republican Primary Elections webpage.
“I find it really helpful that they have those on their website because a lot of people voting for the first time can know what to expect,” senior Steve Soreno said.
