With Nov. 8 days away, a tumultuous political season is reaching its climax. While Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is leading in a Binghamton University student poll conducted by political science professor Jonathan Krasno and his Public Opinion class, many members of the campus community are distressed by the political climate.

Addressing that sentiment, Krasno said that neither candidate is a student favorite. According to him, many students are voting preventively.

“It’s less of a positive campaign to elect her than a combination of electing her and stopping [Donald] Trump,” Krasno said. “Trump’s scandals have repelled students, even some Republican students; Clinton’s scandals have mainly dampened Democratic enthusiasm.”

Some students are concerned with the lasting effects of the election season. Kim Washburn, a senior majoring in integrative neuroscience, said that repercussions from Republican nominee Donald Trump’s campaign will outlast election day.

“Regardless of whether Trump wins next week, the fact that he was able to run for president … has validated an incredibly toxic point of view,” Washburn said. “Trump has provided a platform for racism, xenophobia, sexism, ableism, homophobia and hatred of marginalized groups, and the damage that it’s done is going to take decades to undo.”

Krasno addressed disparities by gender in the survey, saying that the difference between women and men supporting the Democratic candidate was much larger than it was four years ago.

“One interesting thing is the way Trump’s scandals have affected males and females,” Krasno said. “The thing that drives the difference is the males. Females are actually somewhat less enthusiastic about Clinton than they were about Obama, but males are much, much less supportive. Would it be different if she were a he? Don’t know, but it’s not a question that I’d quickly dismiss.”

Dara Silberstein, director of the BU women, gender and sexuality studies department, said that this is many students’ first presidential election, and disappointment with both candidates is justified. But according to her, while Clinton may have flaws, it is necessary she be elected.

“In my view, if we care about any of the civil and reproductive rights we have acquired over the past 50 years, then the only thing to do is vote for Hillary,” Silberstein said. “We need to hold her accountable and work for better leadership in the future.”

The Women’s Student Union president Jessica Dunn, a senior double-majoring in Africana studies and sociology, said she will be casting a protest vote. A protest vote is a vote cast to show disapproval for the two current major party candidates.

“I feel like it’s my obligation as someone who lives in a solidly blue state to express discontent with the two-party system in ways that people who live in swing states really can’t,” Dunn said.

Offering advice to weather the storm, Harry Bittker, BU College Democrats political director and a sophomore majoring in political science, said that students must vote their conscience.

“Voting comes down to one thing — doing what you can to create the world you want to live in,” said Bittker. “Voting — up and down the ballot — is one of the easiest things you can do to directly impact your future.”