It’s 2024, meaning…it’s election year! After four years, the time has finally come again to elect our 47th United States President. But before the Presidential Elections in November, the citizens of the United States must decide the final candidates. The Primary Elections, which are held on March 19 for Illinois, are going to decide this. 

When participating in the primaries, voters have to choose a party (Democratic or Republican) or they can vote independently. This year however, the dropping out of many candidates has resulted in one candidate running from each party: Donald Trump for the Republicans and Joe Biden for the Democrats. There are other independent candidates however, such as former president John F. Kennedy’s nephew Robert F. Kennedy Jr, environmentalist Jill Stein, and scholar Cornel West. Republicans Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, Tim Scott, Chris Christie, Vivek Ramaswamy, Asa Hutchinson, Doug Burgam, Larry Elder, Perry Johnson, Will Hurd, and Francis Suarez have dropped out of the elections as of March 19. 

The Naperville area has many places available for citizens to cast their ballots. Some of these include Wheatland Salem Church, The 95th Street Library, and many of the District 204 schools. To find your ballot, look up your zip code and street address on Illinois Online Voter Application. Another side note is that if you turn 18 before the November elections, you are eligible to vote for the primaries.

It is crucial to get out there and express your voice for the future of America. Now that more people of this generation are voting, hopefully it promises a stable future for this country.