On Nov. 5, 2025, Donald J. Trump won the presidential election by winning the majority electoral vote, as well as the popular vote. In the presidential election, Lake County voted about 60% Democratic and 40% Republican.
Following the presidential election,VHHS students had different views and opinions on the topic. Often, student’s views were influenced by their families and the media they consumed.
Student reactions
According to a survey of 113 VHHS students, about 76% of respondents said that they were unhappy with the election results.
In the survey, Nicole Veryasov (9) selected that she was “very disappointed” in the election results.
Veryasov said that while she was not entirely opposed to some tariff laws that Trump implemented in his previous terms, such as those on washing machines, her views did not align with the majority of his stances. Veryasov also said that one of the main points that she focused on while determining her opinion was abortion and reproductive rights.
“That’s the main reason why I stand with Kamala, instead of by Trump. I mean, there’s obviously multiple reasons. I’m not just gonna say, ‘Oh my god, she’s for abortion. Let’s go Kamala.’ But, that’s one of the main points,” Veryasov said.
Veryasov said that, when looking for a strong candidate, she wanted someone who listened to the people.
Veryasov explained that she identifies as a Democrat, but lives in a Republican household.
Rowan Traps (11) also selected “very disappointed” in the election results.
When they were asked what they would look for in a president, Traps said that they would look for a person with a strong sense of wanting to help Americans, primarily middle class workers, as opposed to the billionaire class.
Traps also said they wanted someone who aligned with their beliefs, especially with reproductive healthcare.
On the other hand, Eddie Fitzgerald (12), said he identifies as a conservative Republican and said he was “very happy” with the election results.
Fitzgerald said he was influenced to support Trump because of his decision
to join the military after graduation.
“I feel like, for me, the strongest thing is making sure our country’s as safe as possible, and making sure that we have the best leader to make sure that we have peace,” Fitzgerald said.
In the classroom
The election discussions continued into the classroom as well.
In some social studies classes, teachers held a mock election. US History teacher, Matthew Bellito, said that US History students took a survey where they selected the candidate they wanted to win, the candidate that they thought was going to win and the most important issues they considered when voting for a candidate.
“In my responses, it was pretty much similar to what Lake County, Illinois ended up voting. So more [voted] Harris, but not by a land slide,” Bellito said.
AP Government teacher, Brian Voss, also conducted a similar survey; although, in his classes, he asked his students to guess which candidate would win and how many electoral votes each candidate would get. The winner, Jori Ellen (12), won a $47 Amazon gift card.
Staying Informed
Students stayed informed throughout the election through a number of different sources.
Veryasov shared that she gets her information from Vox, a media company, while Fitzgerald said that he gets
information from his grandparents, Fox News, Charlie Kirk and Ben Shapiro.
Amanda Carroll, an AP Government teacher, said she makes sure to utilize multiple different sources to filter misinformation.
“After I listen to debates or listen to speeches from candidates, I definitely go to different sources to see what the [facts are]. There [are] sources out there that are non-biased sources that are doing the fact checking,” Carroll said.