By: Rosemary Boeglin <[email protected]>

Seniors Stevan Stankovich and Scott Williamson have good timing. They are eligible to vote this year and both are registered. They have sorted through the ideologies of the candidates and decided they want a Democrat in office. Both students are just in time to vote in the first influential Indiana state primary since Nixon and Kennedy.

“It is amazing for my first time voting to be involved in such a critical election. I could not have been more lucky to get to start voting this year,” said Stankovich, a moderate Democrat who supports Hillary Clinton.

Williamson, also a Democrat, said, “I am a strong supporter of Barack Obama and want to do whatever possible to help him wrap up the Democratic nomination.”

This year, the Indiana Democratic primary takes place on Tuesday with Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on the ballot. According to Mary Beth Schneider of The Indianapolis Star, this is the first time in two decades that Indiana has been influential in the Democratic primary.

Alicia Smith, U.S. History and U.S. Government teacher, said that Indiana’s newfound importance in the national elections has affected Carmel. “I think it is creating more excitement because people are hearing about presidential candidates campaigning in Indiana and this is helping to generate more interest at the state and local level as well,” she said.

Because Indiana’s primary is of consequence this year, Williamson said that it is meaningful for every person to vote. “Especially in Hamilton County, where Democrats are such a minority, every vote counts for the Democratic Primary. As far as support goes, I think that organizing works like the movie ‘Pay it Forward,’ where every person you bring to your side might reach out to a few more people, creating a strong, grassroots campaign. So everyone can play an important role,” Williamson said.

Obama and Clinton know that Indiana is important this year, too. Kip Tew, the chairperson of Obama’s Indiana campaign, told Schneider, “I anticipate an all-out campaign here in Indiana.”

Similarly, Clinton’s Hoosier campaign chairperson Joe Hogsett said in an interview with Schneider, “It’s exciting, the voice of Indiana Democrats will be heard.”

Williamson echoes Hogsett’s statement, but specifically pertaining to young Hoosiers. “I think Indiana youth will be very excited to have a say in this election,” Williamson said.

Williamson said he is enthusiastic about the campaign and elections in general. “I have been following the campaign since the beginning, and knew that I would be supporting a Democrat,” he said. “ Initially I was attracted to Obama for his person life story and the lack of Bush or Clinton in his name.”

Stankovich was drawn to Clinton for the exact opposite reason. “Well, what first interested me (in Clinton) was that I was a big fan of Bill Clinton, so I thought I would like Hillary as well,” he said.

After Williamson’s initial gravitation toward Obama, he said he dug deeper and said he only found more to support about him. “After doing more research, I found that I agreed with the majority of Obama’s policy ideas. I also believe that his abilities to speak, persuade and build up political coalitions would make him an excellent president who could unite the country and overcome Washington gridlock,” Williamson said.

Stankovich was also confirmed in his preference for Clinton after further investigation. “The core reason I support Hillary is after researching both candidates, I saw Hillary Clinton had the values that really matter to me,” he said. “She is trying to get universal health care coverage for Americans, which is long over due. She knows how Washington works and has the experience to fight for what needs to be done in America. She also supports the middle class and wants to decrease taxes for the Americans who make $200,000 dollars or less and roll back the Bush tax cuts for the absurdly wealthy. She is also going to try to make college more affordable. Finally, and most importantly, she has the experience, passion and drive to fight to change America for the better.”

Even though Williamson said that he is a strong supporter of a Democratic candidate, he said he was not always aligned with the left. “I am a Democrat,” he said. “After living overseas and watching the Bush presidency with disgust and doing a lot of reading on my own about history and politics, I realized that I was liberal.”

Due to the magnitude of this election, Williamson said he has taken steps to get other students involved.

Smith said the social studies department tries to make the process easier for students so they are more apt to get involved. “The teachers in the social studies department make the forms available to juniors and seniors,” she said. “We also collect and turn them in for students so that they are more likely to register to vote. We also make forms available for students to sign up and work the precincts on election day so that students can be actively involved on election day.”

Stankovich said his plight for Clinton is not always easy. “I talk to my friends and try to convince them to vote for Hillary. Most of the time it doesn’t work because a lot of them are very conservative and wouldn’t vote for a Democrat in a million years,” he said.

Teachers take steps to get students informed about the elections according to Smith. “We encourage them to watch the news, discuss the topics with their family and friends, incorporate the current election information into the curriculum as well as have student’s complete current events in our government class,” Smith said.

Although he is hoping for an Obama victory, Williamson said he is unsure about the results of the primary. “As of now, it’s a toss up. The demographics lean toward Hillary, but I think there is a lot of excitement about Obama in this state, so I could definitely see it going his way,” he said.

Despite his enthusiasm for Obama, Williamson said, if it came down to it, he would vote for Clinton. “I do not like how Hillary has run her campaign, and I do not believe that she would be as strong a president as Obama. However, I agree with her policies over those of McCain,” he said.

Stankovich said he might take the Republican road if Obama were to receive the nomination, “(I) probably (would not vote for Obama) unless Hillary was the VP of the ticket. Obama is too inexperienced, and so far what I have heard from him has been empty and not with a lot of real solutions.”

For Williamson, the long-term effects of this campaign are not entirely in the hands of either Clinton or Obama. “This election has really drawn me into politics,” he said. “And as a result, I think I will stay involved throughout my life.”