An incumbent dropping out, an assassination attempt, and the first woman of color to be the front runner of a major party. All this happened in the span of less than a month! It’s been a crazy summer, but as the school year starts, election day grows closer. By November, many of our seniors will be able to vote for the very first time.
Elections are the time for people to express their opinions and make their voice heard. Time and again, student activism has played a large role in changing America and the political landscape. The Anti-Vietnam War movement, the Civil Rights Movement, and the climate movement were all largely impacted by students. Every election is important, and this one is no different. Voting is essential for democracy to function. AP US Government teacher Phillip Deak had this to say: “You can’t have democracy without voting, it’s your chance to have a say in the government. Voting is such a fundamental part of being an American.” By voting, you are able to have a say in the future of your country. If you will be eighteen before October 7th, it is not too late to vote, so register here!
The 2024 election impacts us as students tremendously. For seniors, this may be their very first election they are able to vote in. Voting is an important right that eighteen-year-olds fought and protested hard to earn. Voting impacts our future as a whole. The outcome of an election can change the price of colleges, the economy, the job market, and many other aspects of life students need to be thinking about as they transition from high school into adult life.
The 2024 presidential election is especially unique when compared to its predecessors. This is the first election in years where neither candidate needed a primary. This is the first election since 1912 where an assassination attempt was committed against a former president, and the first assassination attempt against a US president of the 21st century. If Donald Trump were to win, he’d be the second president to serve non-consecutive terms, after Grover Cleveland. If Kamala Harris were to win, she’d be the first female president, first Asian-American president, and second African-American president. The 2024 presidential election is a lot of firsts for America in the 21st century.
As you are likely aware, over the summer current President Joseph R. Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed current Vice President Kamala Harris. Through a hard process, Harris selected current Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. Harris and Walz are the Democratic nominees. All information gathered regarding Harris’ policies comes from: BBC, Harris’ campaign website, and CNN. Many Americans agree that one of the biggest issues right now is the troubled economy, so Harris was quick to address her stance. Economics wise, she holds a more progressive stance. Her plan involves ending price gouging, tax breaks for families, newly-built homes, and a program to help first time home buyers. Another ongoing issue in America regards border control. Her stance has changed over time, going from a more progressive stance to a more moderate stance. She has stated that she supports a bipartisan border security deal. Harris has always been a staunch advocate for abortion rights and her stance has not changed. According to her speech at the Democratic National Convention, “When Congress passes a law to restore reproductive freedoms, as president of the United States, I will sign it into law.” As for global affairs, Harris remains a strong supporter of Ukraine for its war against Russia. In her DNC speech, she vowed to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. Although the Israel-Palestine conflict has been occurring since 1948 it has recently come to the public eye. She is a part of the administration that has been funding Israel, but she has stated that she’s a supporter of the two-state solution where Israel and Palestine coexist. She promises to ensure the Israeli hostages are released and that the Palestinian suffering ends. However, she has yet to say whether she agrees with the calls for a trade embargo on Israel. She plans on ensuring a ceasefire between the two countries. Taxes are another hot button domestic issue in America. While she was a senator, Harris co-supported more progressive tax programs along with Senator Bernie Sanders. In her 2019 campaign, she supported a tax hike for corporations from 21% to 35%. She also stated in her DNC speech this year that she plans to cut taxes for middle class Americans, though she left the details for this plan open-ended. Though she held very progressive stances on healthcare previously, she now holds somewhat less progressive stances. She plans to erase billions in debt for Americans and would work with the states on the issue. As for climate issues, Harris has shifted her views drastically from when she was a prosecutor. Originally, she supported a ban on fracking, but has now shifted her views to support climate based laws that still protect the environment without banning fracking completely. As vice-president, she helped get the Inflation Reduction Act passed which directed money to renewable energy development. Finally, when it comes to the ever controversial topic of gun control, Harris has always supported gun regulation laws and currently oversees the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Like President Biden, Harris holds both progressive leaning and moderate leaning policies.
For the third consecutive presidential election, former President Donald J. Trump is running again. Unlike the last two times, instead of running with former Vice President Mike Pence, Trump has opted to run with Ohio Senator James David “J.D.” Vance. Trump and Vance represent the Republican party. All information regarding Trump’s policies comes from an NPR article containing an infographic of Trump’s written policy plan and Trump’s campaign website. Like Harris, one of the first issues Trump chose to tackle is the issue of border control. Trump plans to seal the border by completing the Border Wall, shift portions of spending on law enforcement to border control agencies, and use advanced technology to observe the border. Trump also promised a mass deportation of illegal immigrants. One consistent issue the Republican party promotes is a change in many offices of the federal government. They have promised to declassify government records and bring transparency to the people, fire corrupt employees, and to slash federal government spending and regulation. Trump was quick to address the economic issues of America. His plan is to cut down on regulations that stifle jobs and ones that make essential items more expensive. His plan also involves tax cuts for millions of Americans and ending regulations on cryptocurrencies, AI, and fossil fuels. A big portion of Trump’s 2024 plan is to “bring back the American Dream.” Trump’s plan addressed that this means reducing housing, education, and healthcare costs. Another big part of Trump’s plan to fix the American economy is to put America first. The Trump campaign aims to achieve by reviving the American auto-industry, which includes canceling President Biden’s electric vehicle mandate, imposing tariffs on foreign countries, stopping China from buying American real estate, and to “buy American, hire American.” Something Trump’s plan calls for that Harris’ does not is to protect our senior citizens. His plan calls for the protection of Social Security and the strengthening of Medicare by improving the economy and securing the border. Education was one of the bigger plans lined out in the Trump campaign policy plan. His plan for education is one of his more conservative plans outlined in the policy plan. His campaign supports ending tenure and adopting a merit pay system. Trump advocates for parental rights to be restored in education, as well as states’ rights to education which involves the abolishment of the Department of Education. As for the curriculum, the plan calls for teaching “only the fundamentals in schools,” a phrase many interpret as meaning not gender and critical race theory. Trump has repeatedly mentioned the right to pray in schools and the right for schools to teach the Bible. Trump promises to protect the Constitution by defending religious freedom, free speech, and the states’ rights to handle elections. Trump’s plan only contains one mention of abortion, and he maintains a right-leaning belief. His plan calls for an end to late-term abortion and the right for states to decide abortion laws themselves. The second-to-last section calls for an end to “gender insanity,” to quote Trump, which includes a reversal on Biden’s rewrite of Title IX. The final section of Trump’s policy plan ensures the integrity of elections by requiring voter ID and proof of citizenship. While Trump has not officially endorsed Project 2025, many of his policies line up with it. Trump’s policy plan has mostly far-right policies with some moderate policies as well.
The 2024 Election, like any other election, has been a very long process with many twists and turns. It’s an election unlike any other and may just be one of the most memorable and pivotal moments in American history. Whether Trump and Vance or Harris and Walz win the presidency, we are in for a very interesting next four years. Harris is polling ahead in seventeen polls out of twenty-two, while Trump is polling ahead in only five. However, the polls are almost all within 2-3% of each other, with the exception of the Fairleigh Dickinson University poll which has a 7% difference in favor of Harris. Make sure to get out and vote this fall!
THIS ARTICLE IS FOR PURELY INFORMATIVE PURPOSES, THE HARRISON PAW PRINT IS A COMPLETELY NEUTRAL PUBLICATION.
