By Elizabeth Bennett
Cholla City Reporter
Girls State citizens ran for both county and state offices today. Each candidate, nearly vibrating with nerves and excitement, brought their all to the table, advocating for themselves, attracting votes, and making a case why their bill should send them to Girls Nation.
Secretary in State and Girls Nation candidate Aarna Dharia from Ocotillo city shocked the crowd by starting her speech with a simple word, “Vagina.” While this may seem completely inappropriate without context, this symbolized the exact message Dharia was trying to get across: Sex education in schools must be improved to end the taboo surrounding sexual abuse and intercourse without consent.
At the conclusion of the general candidates’ speeches for office, city reporters from across Girl State took turns asking real and challenging questions to the Governor and Secretary of State candidates.
Some of these questions included “What separates you from your candidate?,” “What measures will you take in office to address the teacher shortage?,” and “How will do you plan to attract voters from both parties despite being a Federalist/Nationalist?”
Candidates’ ease to demonstrate their knowledge on policy and current issue in American policies was incredibly admirable and built strong trust with voters.
Girls State citizens certainly have difficult decisions to make tomorrow morning in the General Election. But after the chaos of campaigns, it’s safe to say Girls State is in good hands, no matter who wins the final vote.