On March 3, 2020, many members of the FHS student body voted for the first time in the Democratic primaries. Jalen Harrison, a senior who is planning on majoring in political science, was very excited about his first time at the polls.

“It’s important for us to vote because it is the only way we can cause change,” said Harrison. “It’s important for us to exercise our right to vote so that we can get the things we need. Most countries don’t have a democracy that allows citizens to make decisions and many people had to fight for our right to vote, so out of respect I think everyone should vote.”

For senior Alex Loesal, her first time voting was also easier than she thought it was going to be.

“There was literally one other person there, and I was expecting a super long line,” Loesal said. “I went with my friend because it was both our first times.”

Although this primary has a variety of candidates who have different views for the country, Loesal still felt as if she couldn’t find the perfect candidate.

“I’m not 100% happy with who I voted for, but I also don’t feel upset with it,” Loesal said. “Of course, I wish there was someone on the ballot who saw eye to eye with me on all my views but that’s unrealistic, so I just picked the next best thing.”

It was announced later that night that Joe Biden had won the Democratic primary in Virginia, with Bernie Sanders coming in second with 23% of the vote. Elizabeth Warren had 10.7% of the votes for the state and Michael Bloomberg had 9.8% of the votes. Both seniors are planning to vote again in November for the presidential race.