Are you friends with people who vote differently than you?

Or are political beliefs a dealbreaker in your friendships, an aspect of a person that you simply cannot get past?

The only non-controversial thing you can say in 2026 America is that everything is controversial. Political polarization, both on the legislative and social levels, frequently comes between romantic relationships, families and friendships.

Because of this polarization, it can be healthy to explore outside of your political bubble. Senior Genevieve Ryan believes that knowing people who disagree with you is important for a multitude of reasons.

“It makes you reevaluate your own beliefs,” Ryan said. “Everyone has beliefs that are flawed […] and having people who think differently from us, kind of poke us and challenge us to be better, makes us better people.”

It is really easy nowadays to live in an echo chamber. Social media algorithms, curated by your interests and values, can heavily reinforce someone’s belief that everyone who disagrees with them is dangerous.

The cure to this ailment is to have conversations with real life people. Put a face to your enemy so that they do not become a monster.

“If you haven’t gotten to know someone who believes something very different than you, you lose compassion for that person, and they become less human,” Ryan said. “And that’s, you know, a fundamental ill.”

So if you do not have anyone in your immediate circle who voted differently from you, is that bad? Does that mean that you are ignorant or intolerant of people you disagree with? Not necessarily.

Xiaowen Zhang, a professor of political science at Augustana, questions the use of the word “friend” in this situation. Using her lens as a scholar of international relations, she says that there is an important difference between being friends and being allies or strategic partners.

“We can be partners, we can work together…if we have common interests,” Zhang said. “But we cannot become friends who trust each other, who ask each other for help, when we share very different value systems.”

A leftist and a conservative can absolutely benefit from talking out their beliefs with one another. There is a lot of value in being able to work towards a common goal with somebody that you may dislike under normal circumstances, and simple face-to-face communication is the first step to that.

But politics isn’t just a neutral aspect of somebody that you can always disregard. It’s a reflection of your moral values, what you prioritize and the things that you consider right and wrong.

Could you ultimately trust somebody whose definition of “right” and “wrong” is different from yours? If you believe that something is evil, but another person believes that that same thing is justified, could you really set that aside for the sake of friendship?

It is extremely understandable if you cannot. Especially because, for many people, one person’s political beliefs can be a threat to another person’s emotional well-being or physical safety.

For example, a Trump voter might be offended that a queer person doesn’t want to be friends with them. “It’s just politics, it shouldn’t interfere in our friendship,” they might say.

But for the queer person, it’s not just politics. From their perspective, the Trump voter has helped create an America where transgender and queer people are increasingly under attack and unsafe.

It’s not just a simple difference of opinion. It can be a matter of knowing that the person sitting opposite you doesn’t prioritize your well-being when it comes to who they support politically.

So, go ahead and have conversations with people who disagree with you. Do not let political polarization cause you to see your fellow human being as less than yourself.

But when choosing your friends, it is totally acceptable to factor in someone’s political beliefs. Politics are not insignificant. They tell you who a person is. When someone is telling you who they are, you’re allowed to listen.