Congratulations to Deer Lakes senior CJ Everhart who will be published in April in the Journal of Research High School for his submission on the U.S. Political System, How the Two-Party System Polarized the Public, in and how it compares to other governments.

CJ began his research in his junior year when students in Deer Lakes High School’s AP Language and Composition course were tasked with conducting a research project on a topic of personal interest as part of the curriculum.

CJ was inspired to research the U.S. political system as in recent years, “politics and elections have caused a major divide in our country.”

“As a part of the generation that will inherit the country, I believe that if we do so in this state, we will not succeed,” CJ said. “There is fighting between family members, friends, and even workers, and it all relates back to politics. The question for me was why? Why was our system causing so much polarization? I conducted this meta-analysis of research to better understand.”

CJ’s research led him to also query about the role that media plays in the polarization of U.S. politics, which fuel the opinions of voters in hopes of resolutions to topics like violence, civil rights and economics.

He directly states in the conclusion of his research that the U.S. party system polarizes opinions, which does not allow for compromise and puts third-party candidates at “at an impossible disadvantage due to aspects like finances, media support, and party.”

“I concluded that there is a better system out there that will help mend the divide that we are currently seeing in the United States of America,” CJ said. “Until this divide is fixed, it will only continue to grow.”

CJ found his research as he identified biases in many potential research sources. He put an emphasis on not favoring the results of a source or set of sources over others when presenting his findings.

“Additionally, with the issue being the United States' system, it was difficult for me to not give the US the benefit of the doubt, as I have lived here for my whole life so I am conditioned to think better of the country,” he said.

After months of research and meticulously detailing his findings, CJ was elated to learn his work would be published.

“I was extremely excited when I heard my paper was being published because I spent many hours working on it, perfecting it, and creating it into a professional piece,” CJ said.

While CJ is interested in continuing research related to his published work, he does not intend to pursue a political or media career.

CJ plans include attending a four-year college program for Actuarial Science in hopes of becoming an Actuary.