The 2020 presidential election on Nov. 3 brings to a close four years of a chaotic presidential administration led by Donald Trump that has seen an impeachment trial, an extensive investigation of the 2016 election, protests and riots in the streets of many cities and a deadly virus that has killed over 200,000 Americans and partially closed down the country’s economy. 

Now it’s up to the voters to determine what direction they want the country to move in the next four years.

While most Diamond Bar High School seniors will not be old enough to vote in this election, the issue of who will be our next president remains a pressing one in the minds of many, especially those who will be 18 for the better half of the next presidential term.

“I’m turning 18 soon [so] a lot of the policies during this presidency is going to affect me,” senior Daniel Min said via Messenger. “Joe Biden wants to shut down the economy while Trump wants to open the economy and I think it’s going to leave a lasting impact.”

Trump aims to restrict government-provided healthcare, corporate taxes and immigration policies while Biden plans to abolish the death penalty, consider adding new states (Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico) and decrease military spending. Both candidates do not support defunding the police and seek to defuse international tensions through increased diplomacy.

Three presidential debates have been scheduled to take place between Trump and Biden. The first, much-criticized debate occurred on Sept. 29 and the following debates are scheduled for Oct. 15 and Oct. 22. However, there is uncertainty surrounding the debates in light of Trump’s recent positive COVID-19 test and subsequent hospitalization.

“I think presidential debates can be a great way for candidates to convey their beliefs to the public people,” junior Allen Wang said via Messenger.

The media has highlighted numerous concerns regarding the integrity of this election in the past months, with many worried about the influence of Russia, China and Iran on the election results. All three nations have sponsored attempts to influence American voters through the spread of misinformation online.

“I sense that misinformation in this election will not only affect the integrity of our election, but allow for the power of foreign interests and with malicious intentions to increase under our watch,” Tamayo said.

Such concerns are not new, as they were also a major point of contention both during and after the 2016 presidential election. Lately, though, social media companies have focused their efforts on combating misinformation and election interference, easing the fears of many. However, there’s a new controversy this year that’s stolen the spotlight: mail-in ballots.

 Despite there being no evidence of a coordinated, wide-scale mail-in ballot fraud attempt, Trump has repeatedly shed doubt on the legitimacy and reliability of mail-in ballots, worrying many American voters as to whether their vote will be counted.

“I think it will be very important to maintain voting integrity and to not have any tampering with the votes,” Wang said.

The wide use of mail-in ballots will probably delay the final results, so it is doubtful that the results will be known on election night.