The Impending Election and Student Votership
We’re here overview where candidates stand on issues, broadcast resources for voting, and gauge how Gophers feel about voting participation.
Joshua Kloss
It’s that time of year again: the leaves are beginning to change colors and fall from the trees, pumpkin spice lattes and who knows what else are on the café menus again, and a certain election looms once again just around the corner. It is, of course, a tumultuous time; one ripe with reruns of “Gilmore Girls” and scary movies, though with the election and the air of uncertainty it brings with it, I’d argue we’re living the plot of a horror movie. This election is eerie for more reasons than one. With increasing pressures on candidates to denounce the genocide in Gaza, politicians seem to stand unflinching in their support of Isreal. We know that both parties are okay with funding the state of Israel, as has been the precedent since its creation. Thus, we know both parties are okay with funding the genocide and annihilation of the Palestinian people. With that not-so-slight remark in mind, let’s look at where the candidates stand on other issues, such as gun control and economic legislation. To err on the side of objectivity, I’ve compiled these talking points from each candidate’s respective website. As such, it is important to question the truthfulness of and intention to follow through on these stances, as politicians have, unfortunately, been known to lie or bluff in the past.
A Survey of the Candidates’ Platforms
Kamala Harris: Is she brat? Oh, I don’t know.
In terms of economics, Harris says she wants to “build an opportunity economy and lower costs for families.” Promising. She says she wants to achieve this through tax cuts for 100 million and more middle class Americans, while also working to lower the costs of “everyday needs,” which she exemplifies as groceries, healthcare, and the like. Taking a very brief gander at her website, she says she also plans to make rent more affordable, lower energy costs while combating the climate crisis, and so on. I encourage you to read more if you’re curious about the specifics of her economic plan.
Harris also wants to “safeguard our fundamental freedoms,” by restoring and protecting reproductive rights — something that has been promised and not followed through by the Democratic Party in the past — and expanding voter participation by mail and enshrining voting rights protections through the proposed John Lewis Voting Rights and the Freedom to Vote Acts.
Reminiscent of our forefather’s promise of creating a country for the “life and liberty of all [White men],” Harris would like to “ensure safety and justice for all.” Here she invokes her past as a prosecutor, district attorney, and attorney general. In light of this, recall that she was not, is not, and will never be, very simply, “a cop,” as many may want you to believe. She wants to combat gun violence by banning assault weapons and high-capacity gun magazines, require universal background checks, and support red flag laws. She wants to renew a bipartisan border security bill and enshrine it into law, which would deploy more detection technology to intercept drugs across the border and add more border security. She also wants to fix our “broken” immigration system and acknowledges its flaws, in a rather ambiguous way, without much elaboration on what is broken or what she will reform.
Lastly, Harris wants to “keep America safe, secure, and prosperous.” For more on that, or any of the other topics that I could only discuss briefly, visit kamalaharris.com.
Donald Trump: is he brat? No comment.
According to the Trump website, there are 20 core promises that he makes in order to “make America great again.” In terms of border security, Trump wants to seal the border to stop “the migrant invasion,” and “carry out the largest deportation operation in history.” For economic legislation, he wants to end inflation and drive affordability, while also making America more energy sovereign by being the dominant producer of energy in the world. He intends to maintain the U.S. dollar as the currency of the world reserve, and swears to protect social security and medicare. He also wants to end tax on tips and introduce large tax cuts for workers. He wants to protect fundamental freedoms such as freedom of speech and religion, and the right to bear arms. Ironic, given that after a few bullet-points, he wants to also cut federal funding for any school that teaches critical race theory, “radical gender ideology,” or any other “inappropriate content.”
Trump also lists several promises having to do with the U.S. military: among such, he wants to build an iron dome missile defense shield over the entire country, and strengthen and modernize the military. Since I don’t have much space to list all of Trump’s platform and positions, and because some of the bullet-points are broad and without specific intention, I encourage you to read more on donaldjtrump.com.
There are, of course, other candidates. I will not be covering them. In terms of intentions, Harris does a more detailed job in describing her goals than Trump; though I’m sure with some digging on his website, you can find more specific details about his broad promises.
Resources for Prospective Voters
To request an absentee ballot for the presidential election, you should look up the specific requirements for the state in which you are voting for. Wisconsin, for example, requires that absentee ballots be requested by 5 p.m. CDT on October 31. Democracy Works does a thorough job relaying the deadlines for different states, and I encourage you to go there for information on absentee deadlines.
Voter registration in the state of Minnesota can be done on the day of the election. You must bring to your designated polling station valid forms of identification and proof of your current address. Visit the Minnesota Secretary of State website to view what those forms of ID might look like for your situation. This is also the most reliable website to use in order to find your designated polling place.
For information on the candidates, visit their respective websites and tune into the debates. The information above is not thorough enough to inform your entire decision, and information received from third-party news outlets should always be digested with caution.
How do students at the U feel about the Presidential Election?
To gauge how students are feeling as we get closer to the election, The Wake sent out a poll. All answers were anonymous, but a few trends became apparent as I sifted through the results. There was an overwhelming majority of students who indicated that they were registered to vote — 95% of poll-takers — and of those who were not already registered to vote, a majority said that they intended to do so in time to vote for the election. As such, 97% of poll-takers said they intended to vote in the election. One response, when asked why they planned on voting, said that “voting is the only power that we have to make real change and have our voices heard. However [messed up] the system is, this is what we have.”
At the end of our poll we left space for students to share any additional thoughts they had about the election, the candidates, and so on. Some answers criticized Trump’s behavior and the way he presents himself — one such response indicated that Harris “is the more presidential candidate.” However, Harris had some criticisms in the responses as well, among such her “unwavering support for Israel.” To that end, one respondent said “I…wish there was a candidate who didn’t have some sort of blood on their hands.” Current President Joe Biden and Harris were also criticized by one respondent who expressed an inability to afford basic necessities as a result of “The Biden/Harris administration [doing] nothing to address inflation.” This may be a good time to point out that economic policy takes about four years for its effects to be felt.
Another poll respondent expressed, “The electoral college needs to go.” This sentiment was somewhat echoed by another respondent who said, “I am often not comfortable with voting third party in federal elections.”
Overall, answers were decisive and reflected a range of viewpoints, from some responses being simply “Trump 2024,” to one response being, “Harris 2024…I can’t take this bs anymore.” The divisiveness of the poll answers reflect, somewhat, the ever-growing divide between republicans and democrats, rural and urban communities, and so on. We are, as usual, a nation and campus divided by different beliefs about what is best for our country.
No matter what position you take, I hope that this survey of candidate positions and resources for voting is helpful as you make your decision on who to vote for, or whether or not to vote at all. At times like these, I can only emphasize trying to make your voice heard, whether that be through voting, protesting, or organizing within your community to echo the demands you believe will better our country.