“The country will be shaken and torn about because of the results,” says Alexander Yu, an RCMS student.

With all 2020 has brought, the election was more important than ever for the citizens of the United States because it decided the future of the country.

After a race between President Donald Trump and Former Vice President Joe Biden, results showed that Biden and his vice president, Kamala Harris, won. So on Jan. 20, 2021, Biden and Harris will be sworn in as the president and the vice president, respectively, of the United States. 

“One of the reasons why I think Biden won is because he has encouraged people to wear their masks and has been a better example for the people,” says Ruby Lu, a seventh-grader at RCMS.

Voters had a lot to consider this year, including each candidate’s views on the pandemic. As of Dec. 17, the COVID-19 pandemic has already sickened more than 17 million Americans and killed more than 308,000. Trump wanted to reopen the country quickly, while Biden thought slowing the virus first would be better.

Biden’s choice for vice president is another noteworthy factor this year.

“Harris, being the first African American woman to be the vice president has opened new doors in America; now she has all of these girls looking up to her as their role model,” says Ava Adams, an eighth-grader at RCMS.

Harris’s win shows America that people can do anything, even if they may be different then other people. Harris was born in Oakland, California, and graduated from Howard University with a degree in political economics. She went on to become a senator from California. Biden picked her to be vice president because he first met her in the senate and argued with her. He knew that if elected she would be the first African American woman to become vice president. They thought that they could unify America.

 “This election will probably cause lost friendships and fights because this is a big thing,” says Alex. “I’ve already had people ask me if I like Biden or Trump.”

The election has had an impact on RCMS. Because of their parents’ political views, people have already lost friends over the election because it’s harder to make friendships if you disagree with the other person. There have also been fights about the election. People have been speaking out about what they think about the election. Another way it will impact RCMS is the fact that Biden wants to contain the spread of the virus, which means more lockdowns.

“In these times, the country is most divided because people will support either side until the end,” says Aaron Chen, a seventh-grader from RCMS.