Every four years, the presidential election provides students with the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions about their nation’s future and explore their own political stances. Whether they lean left, right, or anywhere in between, their beliefs often intersect with external factors, including — but not limited to — identity, family, and community. 

In and out of the classroom, students like junior Syum Mehra find their political views welcomed and encouraged, as long as they are well-versed in the topics they discuss.

“[My teachers] have always valued my opinions, [and] my parents have always asked me how I feel about certain political topics. At least in my experience, my opinion has always been valued to a decent amount,” Mehra said. “But you won’t be taken as seriously if you don’t have that knowledge and evidence and substance behind what you are saying.”

Mehra said he started developing his own political opinions over the summer, after noticing a surge of misinformation about the 2024 presidential campaigns circulating on social media platforms. Scrolling through his feed, Mehra realized that “for you” pages are often biased because they spread content that tailors to the viewer’s current political beliefs.

“On TikTok and Instagram, I saw a lot of political information being spread around but most of the time, it was hard to trust these sources because I didn’t know if they were always right,” Mehra said. “You have to verify by doing self-learning and outside research, which I did by watching videos and reading articles. From that, I started to form my own opinions.”

Although originally a Democrat, Mehra supported Republican candidate Donald Trump because he aligned with Trump’s economic policies. Mehra said that his identity may shape his opinions differently than if he had other lived experiences.

“I’m not a woman either, which is one of the big things that people like to bring up about Trump,” Mehra said. “So I empathize a lot with them, but I will never be able to really put myself in their situation and I do think that if I was in their situation, I might not have the same stance.”

Senior Bernie Panlilio also feels that her identity influences her political opinions.

“I’m a first-generation student and birthright citizen of the United States, so the fact that my parents are immigrants to begin with heavily influences my beliefs to support the Democratic Party and not Trump or the Republican party,” Panlilio said. “As a woman too, seeing the fear that other women have following this election is really disheartening and makes me aware of my identity and how that will be affected by this election.”

In addition to identity, family can be a critical force in determining one’s position on the political spectrum. According to a 2019 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 81% of parents who were or leaned Republican had teens who also identified as Republicans. Comparably, 89% of parents who were Democrats or leaned toward the Democratic party had teens who described themselves the same way.

However, children can also stray away from their parents’ political beliefs, as was the case with one Burlingame student, who wished to remain anonymous for privacy purposes. While her parents are conservative and align with the Republican party, she is a Democrat who supported Vice President Kamala Harris in the recent election. The student said that even if political differences occasionally lead to tension, they often spark meaningful discussions.

“Sometimes the dinner table is a battle zone, but not enough to affect our relationship because there’s still so much love in my family, and political affiliation will not get in the way,” the student said. “Once, my father and I argued about pro-choice and he was able to see my point and change his opinion, and the same goes for me for topics that he supports.”

In contrast, junior Sofia Monteverdi said that politics rarely comes up in conversations with her family or friends. Without feeling well-informed, Monteverdi said she has chosen not to align with any political party or candidate.

“I myself am very impartial because I just feel like I don’t know enough,” Monteverdi said. “… if you’re informed, then you should definitely voice your views, but you just need to know what you’re advocating for.”

Whether actively engaged in politics or not, government teacher Alexandra Gray encourages all students to participate in political discussions in the classroom. During senior year, students are required to enroll in a one-semester American Government course, where they learn about the structure of their government and current political events. Gray organizes a “bellringer” activity each block day so her classes can watch videos and discuss news from sources like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. 

“Some students come into my [government] class already watching the news and talking about it all the time with their parents and friends. Others come in not really having thought about [politics] much at all,” Gray said. “I welcome it all, I think it’s great. The whole point of government class is to make sure that we are all able to start talking about politics at some point.”

According to a 2019 study published by More in Common, polarization in America is largely fueled by the false beliefs people have about their political opponents. They asked 2,100 Americans to weigh in on issues and predict what the other party would say. The study’s participants believed that 55% of Republicans and Democrats hold extreme views when, in reality, only 30% do. At Burlingame, the anonymous student said that some may feel reluctant to speak up about their political views, considering that California has been a Democratic stronghold for over 30 years.

“There are definitely many students at Burlingame with different political ideas, but I feel like people with more controversial ideas just end up not speaking about it,” the student said. “A big part of that is cancel culture in the media because you don’t want to say the wrong thing — not that there is one — out of fear of how people would react. Most people just want to fit in in high school.”

For that reason, the student said she has come to value the diverse political affiliations in her household because she was able to develop a more well-rounded perspective and understand that one’s political views should not interfere with a relationship.

“Right now, we are so polarized in our society so I sometimes think about me disagreeing with my parents’ political affiliation as a gift because it’s allowed me to see other sides of the story,” the student said. “I love them so much, despite how many fundamental ideas we disagree upon. That shows you can coexist with disagreeing and respect the other person without having any hatred.”

Senior Aron Martin also welcomes political discussion in his relationships. Disagreement is bound to happen, but when that’s the case, he hopes students will choose respect and interest over reproach.

“Politics is how we live in society. That’s how we make rules. So I think you can’t keep [politics and your relationships] separate because that’s one of the most fundamental aspects of how we live,” Martin said. “But I think there’s a healthy way to do it in debating and discussing, rather than demonizing.”