Recent media coverage has made it near impossible to get an unbiased view of the presidential candidates and where they stand on the issues, which makes it difficult to know who to vote for. Even if it’s possible to find websites and news reports that are completely unbiased, they can be a little… boring. No one loves staring at statistics and trying to figure out their own political beliefs based off of them, but most people also aren’t interested in hearing from sources that completely back one candidate without hard evidence.
This upcoming presidential election is extremely important and every American needs to know who (and what) they plan on voting for. So, without further ado, here is an unbiased presidential guide that compares Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump’s most recent stances on the major political issues:
1) Education
Clinton’s aim for education is to make sure that all Americans have the resources they need to be able to afford and attend school regardless of income or location. This includes introducing a universal preschool program and creating more grants so college students aren’t forced into debt because of student loans (although she does not plan on eliminating college tuition entirely). Trump also plans on reforming the education system so students in poverty can still receive an education, which especially includes minority students. He has proposed giving block grants to states which in turn would go to students who choose to attend either private, public or online schools.
2) Gun Control
Neither major candidate endorses the removal of guns from the American public. Clinton plans to expand background checks and develop a better gun control system so that criminals, domestic abusers and the (severely) mentally ill cannot acquire weapons. She also plans on restricting the online distribution of assault weapons and banning “military-style” weapons from the general public. Trump differs in that his plans do not involve creating strict weapon regulations in areas with high gun violence (such as Chicago and Baltimore) but instead focuses on encouraging legal gun owners to protect themselves. His plan also includes getting drug dealers and illegal gun owners off of the streets (and into prisons instead), as well as developing better mental health programs for the mentally ill.
3) Immigration
Clinton supports a plan towards citizenship for undocumented immigrants residing in the United States, and her plan includes a continuation of President Obama’s DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program, so undocumented children who live in the United States would continue to be exempt from deportation. She also would like to allow more refugees (especially Syrian refugees) into the United States under a secure screening process in order to prevent dangerous people from entering the country. Trump intends on building a wall along the southern border of the U.S. in order to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the country, and part of his plan includes having Mexico’s government pay for the creation of the wall. The other aspect of his plan includes the mass deportation of over 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. and banning immigration from areas in which there’s a “proven history of terrorism against the United States,” although specificities (budget and regulations) are unknown currently.
4) Women’s Rights/Abortion
Clinton has a multi-layered plan to focus on women’s rights during her presidency, including the destruction of the wage gap and violence against women worldwide. She wants to introduce paid leave for mothers and for those with sick relatives. She is also openly pro-choice, working closely with Planned Parenthood in order to create safe, affordable and legal access to abortions, contraceptives and birth control. Trump’s plan includes defunding Planned Parenthood and making abortions illegal, and he does not believe in the gender wage gap. He intends on expanding social security, Medicare and Medicaid so women don’t have to live in poverty and has spoken in favor of women’s rights.
5) Minority Rights (Race Issues, LGBT Issues)
Hillary Clinton has been an advocate for LGBT rights throughout her campaign, and her plans include ending conversion therapy in the United States, passing the Equality Act, fighting youth homelessness and ending discrimination against both gender (transgender rights included) and sexual orientation. Trump also speaks as an advocate for LGBT rights, and his plan mainly includes preventing dangerous/discriminatory people from entering the United States (see immigration plan above).
Clinton also has a plan for racial justice, in which she intends on reforming the criminal justice system, combating environmental injustice that targets minorities, decreasing gun violence (see gun control plan above), repairing the Voting Rights Act for all citizens, and fighting systemic racism. Trump’s plan is to work closely with local law enforcement to decrease crime, fight economic discrimination in the school systems, create incentives for companies to move into inner cities and restore the economy for all. However, his issues regarding racial justice have been met with controversy due to anti-immigration remarks, prompting some to dub his remarks as racist.
This election season, no one can tell you who to vote for, and you certainly don’t have to listen to them if they do. It’s important to make sure that your ballot box is based off of your beliefs and not the beliefs of others. While these are some of the biggest issues in the 2016 presidential election, the list does not include every issue nor does it include all of the candidates’ stances and plans for the included issues, so it’s important to do research on your own. Hopefully this will have cleared some confusion for voters in an unbiased way. Happy voting!