Most children and teens are happy to be oblivious about politics, but one telltale sign of growing up is caring about what is going on in your country and becoming an educated voter. High school students are approaching the day where they, for the first time, can cast their vote, and then wear the patriotic sticker that informs the world you voted. However, following politics can be a tiresome endeavor as there seems to be a never-ending stream of debates, interviews, and candidates. Here is a brief summary of the top three candidates of each party along with their platform.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Democrat, has 52.8% of the votes in the early poll elections, making her currently in the lead. Clinton is the former US Secretary of State and if elected, she will be the first woman to serve as the President of the United States. Clinton is an advocate for equal wages for women in the workplace and finding a cure for Alzheimer’s. Once elected she intends to make secondary education more affordable, tackle financial reform, and work toward making America the clean energy superpower of the 21st century.

Donald Trump, former businessman and television personality, has accumulated a perspective 34% average of polled votes for the upcoming 2016 election. Trump, who is running for the Republican party, has gained media attention by being outwardly opinionated on many controversial issues in today’s politics. If elected, Trump would like to build a wall separating Mexico and the United States, take a stand on terrorism, defund planned parenthood, and as he says just, “make America great again.”

Bernie Sanders, US Senator for Vermont, is the second leading Democrat with 33.3% of expected votes. Sanders has gained a large young adult following after his views on education, income inequality, and creating better jobs became known. If Sanders were to be elected, he would make college education free, work on ending the growing wage gap, and raise minimum wage to what he calls a “living wage.”

Ted Cruz, current US Senator of Texas, is the second leading Republican with an average poll percentage of 20.7%. Cruz announced that the first thing he will do if elected as President will be to undo what he considers to be all of Obama’s unconstitutional executive orders. As President, Cruz would also abolish the IRS, stop EPA regulations, and defend all constitutional rights he believes have been infringed upon, including freedom of speech and the right to bear arms.

Marco Rubio is the fifth leading candidate and third leading Republican. Rubio currently serves as US Senator for Texas. Rubio has created many plans in his past political career such as new student loan repayment plans and accrediting online universities. He also would like to lower taxes on the rich and repeal Obamacare.

Martin O’Malley, former Governor of Maryland, has 3.8% of early poll votes. O’Malley, Democrat, is an advocate for homeland security and bettering the treatment of America’s veterans. If elected, O’Malley would like to see wages grow 4% annually, cut the unemployment rate for young people in half, and end childhood hunger in America by 2020.

Other notable Republican candidates include former brain surgeon Dr. Ben Carson (10%); Governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie (4.3%); and former Florida Governor, Jeb Bush (3.7%).

Clinton and Sanders have dominated the Democratic party thus far, but other notable Democratic candidates include Rocky De la Fuente, Keith Russell Judd, Sam Sloan, and Willie Wilson.

The election of 2016 has received more media coverage than any other election in American history. No matter what the outcome in November, Obama’s predecessor will impact history due to the serious issues that have been dominating recent politics such as gun control, terrorism, and income inequality.