This year's political season has been one of many historical landmarks, but it has also been the cause of animosity between many citizens of different political persuasions.
College students are constantly surrounded by political messages, and when these politics bleed into relationships, the effect can be damaging.
"In all fairness, I wouldn't date someone if I thought we'd argue over politics," said Vanessa Burris, a junior in political science. "It would seem pointless."
Nick Parker, a freshman in political science agreed with this view. "When I found out my girlfriend had different political views than me, it really started to eat away at our relationship ... I felt uncomfortable knowing that we could never agree when it came to politics."
Samantha Gett, a junior in linguistics, said political disagreements aren't always so damaging.
"[I have] a friend whose parents consistently vote for opposite political parties," Gett said. "[In relationships with opposing opinions] you're able to see more than the idea, you see the person behind it ... The dangers begin when your significant other starts caring more about politics or ideologies than you."
A recent MSNBC article, "A house divided: Spouses split over candidates," claims that marriages across the nation have taken a beating due to the election. Couples nationwide are find conflict between their love for each other and their devotion to political parties.
Partisan and nonpartisan campaigns like MoveOn.org are encouraging the youth to become more politically active, creating more opinionated students.
"I read up on current events and am involved as much as I can," said Nicole Byler, a junior in anthropology. "[Relationships] of opposing political views [can cause] constant conflict, especially in times like now when we've got a bad economy and a controversial war which affect us all."
Some students think the problem of politics in relationships will only get worse with age.
"I think as I get older and want to settle down and start a family, these issues will be even more important," Byler said.
Freshman Craig Gibson agreed. "I will continue to develop my political beliefs and fine tune them as new issues come up and new experiences shape my perspective," Gibson said. "So I think this issue will be more volatile in the future when I am narrowing my ideals."
Alexandra Coleman can be reached at coleman.376@osu.edu
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