Donald Trump’s failures as a president is bringing college students to the polls in droves.

I know, because I’m one of them. I’m 22 years old, and I regret my lack of participation in the 2016 election. I will not make the same mistake again. And so this year, for the first time ever, I’m voting in the presidential election.

I am not alone. According to CNBC news, an estimated 10 million college students from across the country have pushed to vote in this year’s presidential election. As students march through the streets to protests they hope to emphasize about the importance of voting. They explained why voting can unite our communities, improve our health care, and also to be more aware about our environment’s health.

Katie Voepel, a Florida native, recently registered to vote last month so she could be eligible to vote in this year’s election in Hawaii. The 22-year-old, who is living in Honolulu right now, wanted to vote this year because Trump initially declined joining the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) back in 2017, and she believes that the next president should take climate change more seriously. This is also her first year voting for a president, as she never registered to vote in Florida. Voepel is majoring in Environmental Science and is on track to graduate next semester.

“When Trump declined to join UNFCCC, it made me very upset that our president didn’t want to join a group that works on bettering ways to improve climate change,” said Voepel, who is a four-year student at the University of Florida. “Our president now has shown time after time that he does not know nor rather care to improve our environment’s health.”

Jonah Chinen, a Honolulu native, just sent in his ballot last week Monday, as his family mentioned to him about the importance of voting. Both his parents told him that voting can create positive change to our laws, communities, and our future. Chinen was also a participant of a petition to get students from the University of Hawaii at Manoa to register for this year’s presidential election. The 22-year-old has mentioned that college students should take advantage of voting as it is there their right to vote for who becomes our next president.

“There are so many students on campus who oppose him [Trump] because he just doesn’t know how to lead our country, and we want to have someone in office who can be a better leader to change our policies in equality and other problems in our country we have now,” said Chinen, who is majoring in Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Science.

On Saturday, Oct. 10, Trump told reports at New York Magazine that “[coronavirus is] going to disappear; it is disappearing.” According to Johns Hopkins University, America recorded nearly 227,000 deaths as of Oct. 27, which is the highest number in the world as this virus worsen in the United States. It is evident that the coronavirus is anything but “disappearing.” With his ill-advised behavior handling this pandemic, this goes to show that he is just not the leader we should depend on. Trump tested positive for the Covid-19 on Oct. 1 and was taken to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He was released three days after catching the virus and has pursued to enter public appearances since.

As Trump tries for reelection this November, voting has never been more important. Many of the students interviewed preferred Biden over trump. As this response is almost identical with Chaminade staff writer Brittney Ganzelli about who is the better candidate to vote for in this year’s election. Collectively, we have preached that Trump lacks the responsibility it takes to be this country’s leader and that we should find someone that will be resourceful enough to care for our country better. It is important that we vote for a president who will value the health of our environment and lead our people to a better future for our country.