The 2016 presidential election is exactly one year away – November 8, 2016. But before US citizens can vote in the presidential election, it is our civil duty to vote in the primary elections.
Currently, prospective candidates from both of the main parties are running in the primary elections. The primaries are when one candidate from each party is chosen to run for President, and then each party focuses their efforts solely into that candidate for the rest of the presidential race. US citizens can vote in the primaries, but only for the parties they are registered in. Therefore, a republican cannot vote in a democratic primary or vice versa. However, it does not matter which party you are registered in during the final election. Once the final election comes around anyone can vote for any candidate, no matter what party they are registered to.
Though the elections may seem far away, it is important to start educating yourself on the candidates now so you can make an informed voting decision come March 1st, when the primary elections are held in Massachusetts.
Each party has now held at least one primary debate, and it is assumed that everyone who plans on running for president has announced their candidacy. Here is a rundown of the candidates running, as well as a summary of their stances on the important topics:
Republican Candidates
Jeb Bush
FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR
Economics: Bush has proposed a 3-step tax plan, which would cut taxes for most taxpayers. He has a history of being an aggressive tax-cutter.
Healthcare: Bush believes Medicare is a broken system, and pushes for a switch to private plans.
Ben Carson
RETIRED NEUROSURGEON
Abortion: Carson believes that abortion should be banned after 20 weeks, and that “abortion for convenience” (any reason other than health) should be illegal.
Police Reform: States that all police officers should be equipped with body cameras and that inter city resources need to be built to avoid crime instead of funneling more money into the police system.
Chris Christie
NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR
War on Drugs: Christie has stated that drug addiction is a disease, and drug offenders should receive treatment, not jail time.
Education: Christie has not made friends with any teachers for fighting the teachers’ union for tenure reform. He also supports charter schools in place of public schools
Ted Cruz
UNITED STATES SENATOR
Abortion: Cruz believes the US should prosecute Planned Parenthood for legal violations, and ban taxpayer funding of abortion.
Corporations: Says corporate tax rates should be slashed to 15%.
Carly Fiorina
FORMER BUSINESS EXECUTIVE
Gun Control: She is an avid supporter of the second amendment, and opposed the assault-weapon ban as well as the no-fly list gun ban.
Foreign Policy: Fiorina believes we should arm the Kurds against ISIS in the Middle East, and that a deal should not have been negotiated with Iran without more information.
Jim Gilmore
FORMER VIRGINIA GOVERNOR
Immigration: GIlmore holds a strict belief that no amnesty should be given to undocumented immigrants, and that allowing illegal immigration undermines the importance of the law.
Abortion: Stated that the day Roe v. Wade, a Supreme Court case which stated no state could restrict abortions during the first trimester of pregnancy due to the Fourteenth Amendment’s implied right to privacy, is appealed will be a good day.
Lindsey Graham
UNITED STATES SENATOR
Civil Rights: Graham supported banning gay marriage and voted ‘no’ on the Violence Against Women Act.
Education: Graham is against Common Core being implemented because he believes it is not effective.
Mike Huckabee
FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR
Gay Marriage: Huckabee has repeatedly stated that same-sex marriage leads to criminalization of Christianity. He is well known for his support of Kim Davis, a government worker who refused to provide gay couples with marriage licenses after the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Death Penalty: He is a proponent of the the death penalty and authorized 16 executions while governor of Arkansas
Bobby Jindal
LOUISIANA GOVERNOR
Religion: Jindal believes that discrimination is often against Christians, and that it is okay for businesses to deny services based on the customer’s sexual orientation for religious reasons.
Environment: Has stated that the environmental claims are merely used as an excuse to increase regulations.
John Kasich
OHIO GOVERNOR
Healthcare: Kasich is a supporter of Obamacare, and believes Medicaid should be expanded.
Unions: Has tried many times to pass laws that do not allow unions for public workers, and thinks that collective-bargaining rights for public employees should be limited.
George Pataki
FORMER NEW YORK GOVERNOR
Drugs: Has stated that the legalization of marijuana should be left for each individual state to decide.
Environment: Believes that climate change is real and scientifically proven, and steps toward sustainability should be taken.
Rand Paul
UNITED STATES SENATOR
Taxes: Has stated that federal taxes should be cut in half, and that punishing the rich by taxing them higher hurts the poor as well.
Foreign Policy: Believes we should eliminate all foreign aid and rebuild America instead.
Marco Rubio
UNITED STATES SENATOR
Women’s Rights: Opposes the Equal Paycheck Act that would require equal pay for woman, and voted ‘no’ to reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act
Education: Believes there are too many four year college grads, and that a larger focus should be put on vocational training.
Rick Santorum
FORMER UNITED STATES SENATOR
Abortion: Is a strict opponent of abortion, and believes it should be banned no matter what the situation.
Business: Is a large supporter of small businesses, and believes the government should be doing more to support them.
Donald J. Trump
REAL ESTATE MOGUL
Education: Believes that Common Core is a disaster and the Department of Education needs to be cut way down.
International Trade: Trump has promised to increase United States exports to make us more competitive in the global market.
Democratic Candidates
Lincoln Chafee
FORMER RHODE ISLAND GOVERNOR
International Trade: Chafee is a supporter of the Trans-Pacific Trade agreement.
Gun Control: Is a proponent of common sense adherence to the Second Amendment.
Hillary Clinton
FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE
Women’s Rights: Supports the Women in Public Service Project which pushes for 50% female involvement in public service by 2050.
Education: Believes that in public schools, the Bible should be taught as history and literature; not science or religion.
Lawrence Lessig
HARVARD PROFESSOR
Jobs: Is a proponent of raising the minimum wage to a living wage in the US.
War: Believes the war in Iraq was a waste of money and has made America less safe.
Martin O’Malley
FORMER MARYLAND GOVERNOR
Death Penalty: Believes the death penalty should be abolished in the US.
Military: Wants to expand the military and repeal income taxes for retired veterans.
Bernie Sanders
UNITED STATES SENATOR
Abortion: Is a lifetime prochoice advocate, and believes women have the right to choose, no matter what their income.
Economy: Proponent of breaking up large banks and adding fees for high-risk investments.
Jim Webb
FORMER UNITED STATES SENATOR
Civil Rights: Believes that affirmative action should apply to African Americans only.
Gun Control: Is a supporter of the Second Amendment and has repeatedly voted against gun control.
If you are not a Massachusetts resident and would like to know when your primary elections are being held in your state, you can go to Politics.com, where they list all election dates.
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