Talk of the election still has not stopped after a week. People talk about blue or red, Republican versus Democrat, but there is little to no talk about how the elections have changed over the years, especially this year with a pandemic still going on.

   There have been some changes from the first election to now, but changes in the last four elections have happened. 

   “I think we have seen a gradual increase in total participation, which is a great thing,” Greg Walker, a U.S History teacher here at Nixa, said. “But with that, and probably the cause of the increase has come to a serious divide in the country of ideological differences. The differences have been there for many years, but it seems that the civil discourse has disappeared with social media. The campaigns this year have been downright ugly.”

   Mail-in ballots are big talk right now. There are many ways to vote, whether going to the polls or mailing a ballot in. There is much talk about mail-in ballots this year.

   “Mail in ballots have always been around,” Walker said. “Absentee voting has been around for a long time. The only reason they were questioned this year is that one party was estimated to use that option more in order to avoid contact with large crowds and the concern of COVID-19. Any form of voting that is legal and monitored by state and federal laws is a good thing. All registered voters should be allowed to vote.”

   With COVID-19 continuing to spread, there would have to be some changes, mostly if someone voted at the polls.

   “Everyone was much more spread out obviously,” Sydney Phillips, a math teacher at Nixa High School, said. “They did not allow you to touch any screens, so everyone was given a pen/stylus. Usually, there are pens at the voting stations, but everyone had to use their pens this year. They had fewer voting stations set up due to space.”

   Also, Phillips says that voting at the polls did not take as long as expected.

   “The lines for me were not long but I think I happened to go at a good time,” Phillips said. “It took the same amount of time as it did the years prior -again, I just think I got there at a good time.”