I’ve never really taken an interest in the subject of social studies. It’s not because of the information taught, or how it is taught, or who is teaching it, but more because it just doesn’t resonate with me. In elementary school, I was more interested in making up a full-fledged narrative on Paul Revere’s life than learning about his travels and the battles of Lexington and Concord. In eighth grade, my favorite part of the entire Georgia studies curriculum was learning about the different regions of Georgia and the science behind them. Now in high school, I try my best to avoid the subject in school by accumulating my credits online.

This lack of interest has, unfortunately, made me very uneducated on the topic of “big kid social studies,” otherwise known as politics. (Side note: I realize now that you can’t really call politics “big kid social studies” because social studies encompasses much more than just politics. But I didn’t understand this when I was younger, so that’s where the name came from.)

I’ve never actually understood politics or how important it is in our everyday lives until this most recent election. To me, politics was always “grown-up talk.” It was something the adults would argue about while the kids ran upstairs and played. It was something that didn’t apply to me and was too complicated to understand, so I didn’t even try.

For those of you who are like me (not many I assume) and have trouble understanding, here’s a summary of the most basic information I’ve learned about U.S politics, courtesy of the 2020 presidential election.

There are two “teams” in U.S politics: Republicans and Democrats. Their team colors are red and blue, respectively. The two teams don’t always agree with each other but they try to work everything out nicely so the nation can be governed and all. I used to think they just had an ages-old rivalry like the Montagues and Capulets in Romeo and Juliet. However, I learned that the two teams have glaring differences in terms of stances on universal issues like abortion and healthcare. These differences contribute to most of the disagreements between the two.

One of the most important events in American politics is the presidential election that happens every four years. In the beginning, there are a variety of different candidates from different backgrounds, but as time goes by candidates from each team drop out of the race until there are only two people left as the presidential nominees from each team. I think of it as a “last man standing” type of situation where the last men (and women) get to be the final presidential nominees.

The selection and announcement of the nominees establishes a serious sports game-like environment. Everyone picks a side based on what/who they agree with most and they fully support that side. Why a person decides to choose a particular side is completely up to them and how they view the nominee in debates, rallies, and in general.

The actual election occurs on Tuesday in November and the results are decided through the electoral college. Don’t worry, the electoral college is not another potential college to add to your college list. It’s a way of choosing the president through electoral votes based on the populations of the states. The president who receives 270 electoral votes by winning over several states wins the election.

Of course, I had no idea that the process was like that. I was convinced that a group of underpaid individuals sat down on election night and counted every single vote, making the nominee with the most votes the winner. In my defense, it seemed like a simple method that anyone could use to determine the winner of anything. I also didn’t pay attention in my government class.

Finally, here are some political do’s and don’ts I’ve picked up that I think are worth sharing.

1. Don’t ask someone else who they voted for in a serious election because it can be considered personal information.
2. Don’t discuss politics in places where politics shouldn’t be discussed (AKA at the dinner table during Thanksgiving) because the discussion can get too political.
3. Do be aware of what’s going on in politics because it affects everyone.
4. Do vote if you can! It does make a difference.