The upcoming election is with a doubt one of the most controversial elections in US history. Americans must choose between one of two very different candidates. According to an NBC News poll, “Nearly six in 10 Americans said they either ‘dislike’ or ‘hate’ Clinton, while slightly more — 63 percent — expressed negative opinions about Trump. Four in 10 voters said they ‘admire’ or ‘like’ Clinton, and 36 percent said they ‘admire’ or ‘like’ Trump.” Given those numbers, it is clear the majority of voters dislike both candidates uniformly. This election has been described as an election between the lesser of two evils. With such a preponderance of media propaganda thrown in our face, it is hard to disagree that both candidates have overwhelming issues.
Not only are Americans unquestionably dissatisfied with the two candidates at hand, the majority is left feeling their vote will essentially mean nothing. One can be reminded of the abounding controversy surrounding the turn of the century Bush vs. Gore Presidential election in 2000. Bush received 271 electoral votes permitting his victory over Gore. There was such heated controversy over Bush’s Presidential election because Gore had won the nation’s popular vote.
How can a candidate with the unpopular vote win if the mass majority of the country doesn’t support said candidate? You may be thinking, if this is the case, why should I vote? This is where the American voting system falls into some very troubling grey areas. To further explain, one must understand the Electoral College. The Electoral College was set up by our Founding Fathers in 1787. To elect a President, an Electoral College vote is taken, it comprised of electors and members of Congress, as well as votes from the American people.
To get an even better understanding, there is an insightful TED-Ed video, highly recommended for students, by Christina Greer, called “Does your vote count? The Electoral College Explained.”
At this point you may feel like this is a numbers game to be left for the statisticians and politicians alike. However, this is the very reason you may frequently hear people say voting really doesn’t do anything.
Of course, there are other factors that deter people from voting, such as swing states. These states, like Ohio and Florida for example, are states that do not consistently vote Republican or Democrat.
South Carolina consistently votes Republican in each election, while New Hampshire, for example, has voted Democrat for the past six elections. This is why so many voters that live in a state with the majority voting Republican may feel their vote is lost or “doesn’t count” if they vote for the democratic candidate. One must also understand voting trends that depict each states’ voter majority are deeply rooted in socioeconomic factors.
Now that you understand a little more about the voting process, let’s say you decide to vote. Here you are left with two candidates. One emerges as a racist, homophobic, xenophobic madman, while the other candidate is held under prosecution for the mass deletion of thousands of classified emails involving the Benghazi attacks in 2012.
Trump is brash and tasteless in his delivery during speeches. Trump lacks political tact, and his tone and body language are vastly inappropriate during interviews and press conferences. Many wonder if his success is synonymous with his unpredictable nature, which some find oddly refreshing.
Many self-identifying Republicans are not siding with Trump. Former Florida governor, Jeb Bush, announced on his Facebook, “I will not vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, but I will support principled conservatives at the state and federal levels, just as I have done my entire life.” Republicans who oppose Trump disclose that he lacks respect for the Constitution, and he falters as a stable leader. Many worry if he will be able to or adequately equipped to face challenges involving national security and international relations.
Trump has experience in business, not in politics. Voters want a President who has been in the political arena for decades. Business experience is not necessarily a bad thing, but how secure do the American people feel about having a President elected with zero background in politics?
A glaringly obvious deterrent is that Trump has made extremely bigoted remarks about people of different races. Trump has publicly said, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” Trump has called a large group of people rapists and drug dealers, and he can only “assume” a small amount are actually good people. Mexicans are the largest ethnic group amongst Spanish-speaking people in the Unites States, and some of the most hardworking people. This is quite offensive stuff.
Women are having an even more difficult time supporting Trump. Trump has made numerous comments attacking Hillary’s appearance, chastising her for not smiling enough, and for calling her general appearance unhealthy. Trump has firmly stated that Hillary does not have the “Presidential look”. We can deduce that Trump is referring to her lack of virility. Many women believe Trump views women as inadequate leaders to men. To most women, Trump is seen as a misogynist and they find it hard to condone a Presidential candidate that does not support the equality of women.
As for Hillary, she lacks the American people’s trust. Hillary embodies political corruption and scandal. The largest scandal has been the deletion of a multitude of top secret emails from her personal email server. However, let’s get one thing straight. Hillary was tried for the mass deletion of emails, and found not guilty. As we all know, in America citizens are innocent until proven guilty. Be that as it may, the strong majority of Americans still believe there has been foul play. U.S. Senator Rand Paul said, “I think it’s pretty important that she [Hillary] accept blame for not providing security.” Paul said this in regards the Islamic militant raid on US diplomatic outpost in 2012 in Benghazi, Libya. Paul states, “She was asked repeatedly to provide security in Benghazi on several occasions including direct cables, and she says she never read the cables on security. I find that inexcusable and a dereliction of duty.”
There is a growing amount of Democrats who are not ready to vote for Hillary. They do not trust her and think she has a multitude of political baggage. Hillary has disturbing conflict of interests. For example, the Clinton Foundation accepted millions of dollars, which was meant to aid Haiti after the devastating earthquake in 2010, yet it was used as payoffs to donors. Another example, according to International Business Times states, “Under Clinton’s leadership, the State Department approved $165 billion worth of commercial arms sales to 20 nations whose governments have given money to the Clinton Foundation, according to an IBTimes analysis of State Department and foundation data.” More alarmingly, the countries that donated money directly infringe upon basic human rights. “The State Department formally approved these arms sales even as many of the deals enhanced the military power of countries ruled by authoritarian regimes whose human rights abuses had been criticized by the department. Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar all donated to the Clinton Foundation.” The Clinton Foundation has been synonymous with a myriad of scandals.
Many frustrated Americans are throwing their hands in the air and refusing to vote, and those who have decided to vote have admitted the reason for choosing a candidate is solely based on preventing the other candidate from being elected. It is frustrating that people feel the only reason to vote for one particular candidate is solely just to keep the other candidate out of office. Nonetheless, this is what it seems to have come to.
According to The Washington Examiner, Utah senator Mike Lee stated, “I have some concerns with him [Trump]. He scares me to death; so does Hillary Clinton. There is no easy choice right now. I’ll make the decision as best I can, but I’m not there yet.”
So what do we young people do amidst a controversial election like this? Firstly, it is our duty as citizens to become educated on the candidates’ policies. Investigate exactly where Trump and Hillary stand on foreign and economic policy, gun control rights, crime and justice policy, healthcare, education and inter alia. Next, align and compare the information you find with your core beliefs and values.
For instance, ask yourself, does Hillary support a woman’s unrestricted right to abortion? What is Trump’s stance on reproductive rights? What are both candidates’ viewpoints on social issues, like gay marriage? Where does either candidate stand on our nation’s defense and international issues? Do you support more spending on our military? How do you feel about immigration laws? Should they be stricter or more accommodating to those seeking citizenship? Do you support a nationwide increase in minimum wage?
These are all things to take into consideration when potentially selecting a candidate. If you agree with the majority of one candidate’s viewpoints, then decision-making process becomes less about the persona of the presidential candidate, and more about the real issues that will affect you and this country’s future. Conclusively, so much more should go into the voting process than voting for one candidate to spite the other candidate.