Eligible voters, how much do you already know about the upcoming presidential election?
Sabine Szylko, a senior at Tam and a first-time voter, feels ill informed on each candidate. “I would like the candidates to focus more on my generation, we are at such a low voting percentage. We won’t want to vote if we don’t see the point,” Szylko said.
For those who are eligible to vote this November election, here’s what you need to know.
The election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 5. The closest vote centers to Tam are located in the Homestead Valley Community Center and the Tam Valley Community Center.
The Republican candidate for president is former President Donald Trump. According to Fox News, with former President Trump, “you know what you get,” which is seen as an advantage for Republicans due to the fact that a large portion of voters know very little about Kamala Harris.
The Democratic candidate is current Vice President Kamala Harris. “Like Biden, she intends to contrast her vision for America with that of former President Trump,” CNN wrote in an article.
“The deciders” are what voters with unsure stances on various issues are called. It is essential to be well versed in all of the current topics up for debate—according to The Washington Post—these four topics are some of the most important in deciding which candidate to support: Immigration, gun control, climate change, and abortion.
Let’s take a closer look at what each candidate advocates for.
Immigration
As president, Trump would put into effect “the largest deportation effort in U.S. history,” according to NewsNation. He would do this by ending what he calls “catch-and-release,” meaning that immigrants caught entering the U.S. without authorization would be detained and deported.
Contrastingly, Harris’ stance on immigration is more focused on a slower approach. “The vice president [is] seeking pathways to citizenship for immigrants in the U.S. without legal status,” Associated Press (AP) News wrote, “…with a faster track for young immigrants living in the country illegally who arrived as children.”
Gun control
Trump is a strong second amendment supporter. According to Reuters “Trump vowed at an event sponsored by the National Rifle Association (NRA) in February to undo Biden-era gun restrictions if re-elected.”
On the other hand, Harris views gun control as something that should be strictly enforced, according to the British Broadcasting Channel (BBC). She supports implementing red-flag laws, which are meant to keep firearms out of reach from those who could potentially harm themselves.
Climate change
If elected, Trump plans to exit the Paris Climate Agreement, which—according to the BBC—vows to prevent global temperature from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. Trump exited this treaty in his first term of being president in 2017, but Biden re-entered when he came into office.
Alternatively, Harris—who has a long history of advocating for improving the environment, according to CNN—believes that large oil companies should be prosecuted if they continue to contribute to fossil fuel emissions.
Abortion
According to NewsNations, the former president “called the overturning of the landmark abortion rights case Roe v. Wade ‘a great victory’ during a CNN town hall meeting.” Additionally, under Trump’s presidential term, he appointed three Supreme Court justices, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett who were the deciding votes in the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Harris’ strongest belief, according to CNN, is to support abortion rights. As vice president, Harris started her Reproductive Freedoms Tour, which is defined as her “fight for the freedom of every American to make decisions about their own body,” as described by The White House official website.
With these topics and more in mind, if you are 18 years old or older and a US citizen, you can vote on Nov. 5 by mail or at your nearest election booth.
“I think it’s your duty as an American, to express your right to show your opinion. It also keeps you involved in our democracy,” Szylko said. ♦
