The U.S. presidential election took place on Nov. 5 and several Norwalk students shared their thoughts about voting. 

“It is like if you don’t vote, you really can’t complain about what’s happening,” said Jack Larson, a senior at Norwalk.

Senior Jonah Sandoff said he wanted the leader who is most qualified.

“A person who is for the people and the best for the job,” he said.

According to the Associated Press, Donald Trump won the election with 312 electoral votes compared to Kamala Harris’s 226 electoral votes. In Iowa, Trump won with 56% of votes, which meant he got all  six of the electoral votes for the state. Trump is set to take office on Jan. 20, 2025.

Senior Briley Purcell said that he was happy that Trump won the election.

“I feel that there was a need for change in America,” he said. “I feel like my voting experience was similar to most voters overall. I feel like a lot of Democrats that voted for Biden switched to Republican. After four years of Biden, people were ready for change.” 

Junior Eli Geisler said he was surprised by the election results in Iowa.

“I thought it was a little disheartening,” he said. “I think some earlier polls thought that the race would be closer, but it didn’t end up being very close. And I think some of the state governmental elections should have gone a different way.”

Senior Henry Groos said he hopes that everyone can accept the outcome of this election.

“This was a very emotionally charged election, with both candidates being very polarizing,” he said. “It led to people having strong feelings, whether happy or angry, about who won. But I think we can be one.”