An Unconvinced Voter

By Terrance Davis

The presidential campaign between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump dominates public discourse. Not everyone is fan.

Krystal Aaron, a 26-year-old, senior auditor from Rancho Cucamonga, has voted since she became an adult in 2007. She felt it was an obligation.

“As a black person…just having the right to vote is symbolic and powerful. Our ancestors fought tirelessly for centuries to get equality in this country,” she said. “I felt I was doing a disservice to my people if I didn’t get out and vote.”

Despite such a strong stance, she has decided not to cast a vote for president on the November ballot.

Aaron cites the inconsistency and untrustworthiness of the two candidates for her decision.

“Donald Trump getting as far as he has in this campaign is a poor representation of this country. Many other countries are completely shocked by many of the insulting and outrageous remarks he’s made in his campaign,” Aaron said. “With Hillary, she comes with a lot of baggage and I don't really envision her as a strong leader.”

She did not always feel this way.

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“I just don’t care to get involved because I don’t trust them,”

— Krystal Aaron

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Aaron had zero apprehensions about whom she thought should be the face of the American government back in 2008. As a young African-American millennial just entering college, she unequivocally backed President Barack Obama’s first presidential nomination.

“Of course I was going to vote for Obama. It was nothing out of the ordinary that he did. I was a black. He was black. I was just excited about the opportunity for some diversity and change in our government and I wanted to be apart of history,” she said, with a slight chuckle.

For many minorities, Obama’s nomination represented a break from American political tradition. A position normally held exclusively by middle-aged white men, this country finally had a president who embodied the cultural melting pot of its civilians.

Now with Obama’s presidency drawing to a close Aaron’s interest in this election has diminished significantly.

“I just don’t care to get involved because I don’t trust them,” Aaron said. “Now that I’ve become more informed on what each candidate has to offer, neither seems genuine. They feel like they need to confront issues that will make them popular instead of being true to themselves and confronting the issues they actually care about.”

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