College students participating in their very first election are arguably the most important voters being polled. New turnout has the ability to override the decisions of seasoned voters who have become so accustomed to their own party that they are wary of finding the facts and staying open-minded.
But not us, Gen Z. We are only letting the most prominent and trustworthy sources of information influence our decisions this November. And by that I mean, of course, Tik Tok…and I’m only half kidding.
Here are some of the best political Tik Toks I’ve seen under the hashtag #Biden2020. Through them, I can better explain the Settle For Biden campaign and assure you it won’t be that bad having Sleepy Joe as President. I mean what could go wrong? 7 months of isolation due to 200,000 American deaths? The mail service being eliminated and democracy being threatened? The country burning to the ground?
The Very Worst It Can Get *knocks on wood*
Posted by @OkBlumer this post satirizes the present-day issues that have called Trump’s leadership into question. The user begins with a flashback of an American in 2016, saying that Trump’s Presidency can’t possibly be as bad as we feared…and then flashes to that same American in 2020 saying “Oh God, the sky is on fire but I gotta go buy stamps so that the postal service doesn’t go out of business and democracy survives long enough to get the vaccine for this deadly pandemic.” …tea.
“Name One Time Trump was Racist”
Posted by @michaelschiumo this video begins with the question “name ONE time Trump was racist” and proceeds to show an overwhelming amount of comments and actions that make it clear Trump does not stand for the well-being of all people in America, but rather all Americans like him. While many comments and quotes filled the screen, the one @michaelschiumo chose to highlight read “On his 2005 radio show, he admitted his original idea for the Apprentice was to have ‘a team of whites versus a team of blacks.’”
Vote Blue.
He says it all. Voting for the man who uses America as a platform to benefit himself, his friends and those who will probably resume business with him once his presidency is over is almost as damning as the hypocrisy of the voters who believe his cabinet supports “republican ideals.”
Policies we Love Besides “He’s Not Trump”
Tik Tok user @clairbeluga challenges a conservative’s condescending question “Why are you voting for Biden?” by explaining Biden’s policies in a quick, easy to follow manner. But let me break down these policies and provide links to give more information:
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Mandatory Minimum Sentence Reform
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Joe Biden intends to “reduce the number of people incarcerated in this country while also reducing crime” (https://joebiden.com/justice/#) He intends to do this by sending drug offenders to drug courts, not placing them in incarceration for the act of using drugs without breaking other laws. By reinvesting the money used to keep these people in jail for petty crime into communities affected by drugs, crime will be reduced in the long run.
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Biden is pushing for the immediate passing of Congressman Bobby Scott’s SAFE Justice Act and continuing the efforts to end racial disparity, provide fair sentencing, offer second chances, and reduce violence in communities while supporting survivors.
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Biden believes preventing crime is the best way to end mass incarceration. According to his website, 80-90% of girls in the juvenile justice system experienced sexual assault or abuse before committing a crime. Stopping the initial violence potentially will eliminate further arrests.
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It costs $100 a day for the federal government to keep someone in jail. Worth it for true criminals, not worth it for someone who got caught smoking a joint when it’s already on it’s way to being legal.
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Biden plans to reinstate the assault weapons ban, and support universal background checks before purchasing an assault weapon.
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According to the Washington Post, “Under Biden’s proposal, a gun owner would either have to sell the weapon to the government or register it.”
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Biden also proposes having new firearms to be encoded with biometric technology, which will only allow a gun to be used by those who are authorized to do so.
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So if you want to use your gun, you have to have it registered.
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Biden also promises to hold gun manufacturers accountable. All other industries are civilly liable to their products – except the manufacturers of firearms.
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According to Biden’s official website, those making less than or equal to $25,000 a year will not have scheduled payments for their student loans and additionally won’t pay interest.
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After 20 years, the remainder of the loans will be forgiven for individuals who have responsibly made payments on their debt.
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The idea behind this is that along with forgiving student debt, it will enable people to take public service jobs with lower compensation because they won’t have to worry about meeting monthly payments.
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Biden intends to make billionaires pay their fair share, contrary to Trump’s tax cut, and provide tax relief for struggling families.
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Biden will not raise taxes on Americans making less than $400,000 per year.
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Biden will raise the corporate tax rate to 28%.
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Biden will expand the Child Tax Credit to $3,000 per child 6-17 and $3,600 for children under 6. This will help families during the pandemic by providing thousands of dollars in tax relief.
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Obviously, neither candidate for this election is perfect. They each have faults that call their character into question. However, with the death of RBG and a spot on the Supreme Court open, it’s imperative that instead of voting for one of these candidates this November, we vote to sustain our democracy. If Trump is given the opportunity to appoint another Justice, the conservative vote on the court will outweigh the liberal by 6:3.
Conspiracy theorists are adamant that Trump is trying to rig the election by hindering the USPS’ ability to collect mail-in ballots. If possible, go to an in-person voting booth this November. If not, check out this article on Her Campus to ensure your vote is recorded by mail.