State system students, faculty and administrators saw their fair share of tumultuous times in the past week, but the union strike ended just in time for everyone to focus on the chaotic presidential election.

In less than three weeks, Shippensburg University students will be headed to the polls. Though many people have already made up their minds between the two main charismatic candidates, how will they react to the results?

The 2016 presidential election may tear America in two, as rhetoric and campaign mudslinging is higher than past elections. Republican candidate Donald Trump’s off-the-cuff comments sparked accusations that the business man is sexist and racist. Meanwhile, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton continues to wade through her email scandal, and her comment that half of Trump supporters are deplorable.

Speaking close to home over the weekend, Trump vowed to a crowd in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, that he will sue every woman who accused him of sexual assault, reported the Associated Press. National Public Radio compiled a list of 18 women that made accusations against him. Trump will surely keep himself occupied with lawsuits if he follows through with his promise. Clinton is already keeping herself busy rebuking her opponent’s wild remarks.

With Election Day just around the corner, voters are probably starting to wonder if they will ever hear about the issues. But why waste the limelight talking about policy when there is good old-fashioned mudslinging to do?

After all, Trump and Clinton could publish a book with all the information on their websites. Trump’s tax policy is laid out on his web page, and Clinton has an entire fact sheet devoted to taxes. Despite their differences, like whether to build a gigantic wall, they actually share a few positions.

Both want to close corporate tax loopholes and both want the wealthiest Americans to be taxed the most. The candidates also do not want any part in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a measure President Barack Obama is trying to push through in his final months in office, according to the White House.

Clinton differs with Trump when it comes to advocacy for social equality. On the top of her website, hillaryclinton.com, there are several issues related to equality, including LGBT rights, racial justice and women’s rights. Trump does not have a specific page in his issues menu that discusses these rights and social justice.

Perhaps he thought he would be wasting his time talking about equality when he racked up a list of questionable comments and Tweets, as the Huffington Post cited. Clinton, however, is relentlessly promoting her social justice warrior mantra, when in reality, she would still not have to say a word about women’s rights and she would be ahead on the issue. Her being a woman has little to do with her success when it comes to issues of equality. She is a step up from Trump simply because she is not being accused of sexual assault.

Despite the criticism Trump gets for his no-holds barred attitude to campaigning, and Clinton’s Benghazi and email scandal, both are the top picks for president.

At the rate the candidates are currently polling, neither will get more than 50 percent of the popular vote. Clinton is polling at about 48 percent and Trump at 42 percent, according to a Real Clear Politics average, which uses data from ABC News, Reuters and other professional sources.

Americans need to be ready to have a president who lacks support from more than half of the nation. Maybe if ballot boxes offered a “no confidence” choice America could roll the dice again and start the election over.

Still, there are many people who adamantly believe that Clinton or Trump is the right person for the job, and not the lessor of two evils. But what America will look like under her or his presidency is a mystery.

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