First-Time Voters Face Election for the Ages

By Zach Lichter 
    For those who will cast a ballot for the first time ever this November, this is probably not the way they thought it would happen. 
     The 2020 election will be unlike any other in the nation’s history mainly because the American people will be voting in the middle of a pandemic. The 2020 presidential election is one of the biggest in our lifetime. President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are finishing up their campaigns for the White House and soon the voters will decide. The coronavirus, racial inequality, crime, the economy, healthcare, the Supreme Court and foreign policy are all at stake in this election, among other things. 
     The biggest thing that is on American people’s minds is getting out to vote. And then there’s the lack of experience but eagerness of first-time voters.
    “I’m excited to vote because as an American citizen I have the right to vote and I decide who I vote for,” said Wall High School junior Steven Stansfield, 18.
    This election will mainly be conducted by mail-in ballots in the state of New Jersey, as in many states. Voting by mail is considered a better alternative for people who don’t feel safe going to polling places Nov. 3. 
    “I felt more comfortable doing the mail-in ballot because I feel that there is less exposure and I feel safe doing it by mail,” said Wall senior Karlie Sambade, also 18. “Plus I want to keep my family safe."
    If you plan on voting by mail, you can drop off your ballot at the Wall Township Municipal Building. All registered voters should have already received a ballot in the mail. If your ballot has been misplaced, damaged or you have not received it, you can contact the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office at (732) 431-7790 or visit www.monouthcountyvotes.com to receive a replacement ballot.
     For people who feel more comfortable voting in person, the Glendola Fire House, the Municipal Building and the South Wall Fire House Ballroom will all be open Nov. 3 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters with disabilities will be allowed to use the voting machines on Election Day. All other voters will be given provisional paper ballots if they decide to vote in person. Those ballots will be counted last after all the mail-in ballots are tallied.
    “I would rather do in-person voting for future elections,” Sambade said.
    This 2020 presidential election will be one we will never forget. It could change the way we vote in the future and pave the way to see more people vote by mail for elections to come.