Her hand hesitated over the button. 

The decision had already been made, but she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret. They had known each other since they were in grade school, after all. 

Click. 

She pressed down on the button, another online friendship ended for the sake of politics. 

This story is not a rare event during the 2016 election season, and it isn’t only happening online. According to a Monmouth University poll, seven percent of voters will admit that they’ve lost a friendship over this year’s national election. 

The 2016 election is divisive across the country. This can be seen through the back and forth of polls in many states. Issues and scandals have caused tension between voters, resulting in strains in relationships, even affecting those of students on the Ashland University campus.  

Candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both have multiple scandals behind them leaving the opposing parties ways to criticize the candidates outside of the issues alone.

AU sophomore Allison Montgomery says many voters are paying too much attention to the scandals of the candidates. 

“I think that a lot of people you know look at the bad side of Hillary but not the good side, and that’s all they see. They also look at the bad side of Donald Trump and not the good side, and that’s all that they see,” Montgomery said. “They’re not taking into consideration which issues matter and what really impacts the country.”

Senior Clinton supporter Hannah Kugele thinks that the polarization in this election could also stem from disagreements between the voters on the issues.

“I think all of the problems that our country has been facing internally with race and L.G.B.T.Q. issues, aka human rights, has really been prominent in these past few years, making the people of our country want to hear what the candidates have to say about the issues and how they will solve these problems,” Kugele said. 

The strong-willed opinions that the parties have can even go so far as to impact a student’s relationships with friends and family. 

Sophomore Trump voter Samantha Stutzman does not think that she would end a relationship over politics, but admitted that it may cause some strain. 

On the other hand, Kugele does consider another person’s political opinion when forming a relationship, saying that she would not date someone who supported Trump. 

Kugele also brought up that she has seen tensions between voters growing especially high online.

“The internet allows distance from what you say, so people will post the rudest and most hateful things online and not see it as that way because it’s being read through a screen,” Kugele said. “But when it comes to a differing opinion they will take full offense even if it wasn’t as drastic.”

Kugele was very confident in saying that she had unfriended anyone that she saw supporting Trump online. 

Stutzman has considered unfriending people, but she has not officially pressed the button yet.

“I think the wide popularity of social media has really added to the problems with this election in many ways,” Stutzman said. “It allows people to lash out on others with opposite opinions and it has added to the dirt digging on candidates which distracts the people from what are the real issues.”

For those who do not want to be involved in the back and forth of this election cycle, third party candidates, such as Gary Johnson, have become an option. Johnson may not get enough votes for the presidency, but he has become the voice for those disappointed with both popular candidates. 

Clinton and Trump go back and forth in the polls depending on the news cycle. However, whether someone is conservative, moderate, or liberal, AU students are feeling the divide between voters as the election is drawing near. 

“It’s just something to fight over, so they fight over it,” Montgomery said. “This election has gotten a little ridiculous.”