The 2016 presidential election is one that will go down —bolded, highlighted, and underlined— in the history books. By November, we may have the first woman president or a political outlier as the next leader of our nation. Hillary Clinton was caught on camera lying about being under sniper attack in Bosnia, and Donald Trump supports the ban of all Muslim people entering the United States. And although the two are far from comparable, it is undeniable that instances like these give the 2016 election the illusion of a reality television show; the candidates continuing to make absurd comments to one another, and saying exactly what they think the people want to hear on serious topics of race, religion, and immigration. So with little over a month left until ballots are filled, The New School Free Press has decided to cut out the bullshit and give you exactly what you need to know for this high-stakes election. While we may be students at a generally liberal institution, the NSFP wanted to ensure that all colors of the political spectrum — the red, the blue, and the murky gray — were given a voice in order to accurately reflect the varying viewpoints held by our student body. We collected stories from Bernie Sanders supporters who have jumped ship to Clinton, talked once more to the TNS’s underdog Republican club, and surveyed international students who say they would reconsider whether to stay in the United States if it became “Trump’s America.” We even learned what would happen if Clinton and Trump ever had hate sex. Yeah, we went there. We want our readers to understand the candidates’ policies that will affect us as students, to inform you on the mechanics of casting your vote or submitting an absentee ballot, as well as to explain why some students who are first time voters are deciding not to hit up the polls at all. By publishing this special package, our goal is urge students to use their right to vote in an election where both candidates have great potential to change the state of our country. Here in the written word, as well as photos and videos, is what the NSFP believes you should know this election season.

By Truman Ports and Allie Griffin