Fueled by a passion for politics, senior Madison Sanders is eager to vote.

Sanders, a Marketing major, said she is passionate about the November election, her second.

“I believe this to be one of the most important elections for our country,” she said. 

She worries that if former President Donald Trump is reelected, life will be hard for marginalized groups. 

“Since Donald Trump was president … there has been a level of division that I personally have never seen and it makes me fearful for the future of our country,” she said. “This applies specifically to people of color, women and the LGBTQ+ community. 

”The policies he wants to instill will affect these groups tremendously,” said Sanders. “I fear that if this election goes in the direction of Donald Trump becoming our president again, we will see a new level of division, as well as a sense of loss towards our democracy.”

Sanders believes Vice President Kamala Harris will unite Americans.

“Kamala Harris, who I see fit to be president as someone who takes this position seriously, … is genuinely passionate about the policies she would like to bring to light,” she said. “These policies are those that I believe can only drive us closer as a country, rather than farther from each other… which is where I believe we stand now, sadly.”

Sanders said she is especially concerned about the threat to women’s rights.

“As a woman I feel compelled to speak on the issues of women’s rights,” she said. “Reading through the plan Project 2025 terrifies me.”

The plan, a blueprint for how the next Republican president will reshape the executive branch of government, would expand presidential power and impose a conservative social vision. It calls for cutting back Medicare and Medicaid, rejecting abortion as health care, placing all federal agencies under presidential control and eliminating job protections for thousands of federal workers currently protected by civil service rules.

“Donald Trump wants our country to move backwards when in reality we should be moving forward considering it is 2024,” Sanders said. “This makes me scared. … Iit starts with taking away our reproductive rights, what’s next? Will this continue until our rights are completely stripped and we are back to the 1900’s?”

Her fear of losing rights is why Sanders plans to vote for Harris.

“If Kamala wins I am excited to see the future of the United States,” she said. “I would not say I was ever a fan of our current president, and I think having someone younger and a woman would give us such a new and fresh perspective and can only make things better.

 “This makes me extremely hopeful,” said Sanders. “I see a lot of support online and in person for her being a candidate and I hope we make the right decision.”