By Emma Hamrick

This time next week, the United States should know whether the next Commander-in-Chief will be Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. Much of that major decision falls in the hands of voters from swing states such as Florida.

Florida Southern College political science professor Dr. Bruce Anderson believes that the changing demographics within the state of Florida will heavily impact the upcoming election.

“The Florida populus has changed drastically over the past 20 years,” Anderson said. “It is really important that the students understand that change and the role of millennials in that change.”

According the the US Census Bureau, millennials outnumber baby boomers within the US and present a far more racially diverse generation.

In light of these changes to US demographics, campaign strategists attempt to reach millennial generations through new media including Snapchat and Youtube ads.

Despite these attempts at reaching millennial voters, Anderson believes that the percentage of millennials at polling booths is “small compared to the others voting.”

According to Diana Popa, Communications Manager of WalletHub, in the 2012 presidential election, Florida ranked 40th among all states for percentage of citizens registered to vote.

This year’s election has not been without political controversy. Between Clinton’s confidential email scandal and Trump’s Access Hollywood sound bytes. voters nationwide have second guessed their party loyalty. According to the New York Times, College Republicans in both northern Florida and Connecticut have faced “nightmarish” fights within their respective chapters.

According to the New York Times, early voters that cast votes as early as Oct. 24 in Florida lean toward Clinton.

Results will not be finalized until the offcial election date on Nov. 8. For more information of voting locations, visit registrations.elections.myflorida.com.

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