Election Day in America is exactly two weeks away as of Tuesday, Oct. 22. The ballots are set, and candidates are heading down the final stretch of their campaigns. Mainstream media might have you convinced that whoever wins this cycle’s general election will either save or doom America as we know it. I’m here to tell you this just isn’t true. The fact of the matter is, the president elect will most likely have the least effect on your day-to-day than most other issues on your 2024 ballot. I’ll touch on some key components to watch out for on your respective ballots come Nov. 5.
Federal Offices:
Obviously, the president plays an important role, no one is arguing against that. In fact, the president is the individual that holds the most power in our democracy. As the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces and appointer of federal agency leadership, they essentially will be held responsible for how the United States handles the current conflicts in Ukraine, Israel and others that may arise over the next four years. They will also have the power of signing bills into laws or vetoing said legislation back to congress for restructuring. This can only be achieved with the help of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Being viewed as successful in this role is probably one of the hardest things to do in American politics.
In my eyes, there are qualities a presidential candidate should have that are vital for simultaneous domestic and international success: a strong world leader with great interpersonal skills; someone experienced enough, but with new ideas that can cut across party lines. We also need someone who can hold their own in our fierce legislative system. I’d advise you to take these into consideration before making a final decision. However difficult this job may be, whoever is elected can do a pretty poor job and not ruin America’s democracy. We have a system in place that doesn’t allow that to happen from the inside.
As a brief review, let’s take a look at the two presidential candidates from both the Republican and Democratic parties.
For the Republican party, we have former President Donald J. Trump, running alongside Ohio Senator JD Vance. While four years ago they would have been viewed as the most unlikely of duos, they have gained strong support from the GOP and those unhappy with what President Joe Biden has accomplished these past four years.
Trump’s policy strengths are the economy and immigration policy. He is also publicly critical of governmental agencies, an opinion that many Americans can connect with. However, Trump has been criticized for his foreign policy, response to Covid-19 outbreak and plan to add tariffs to all imported goods. He also currently stands trial in a Georgia state court and federal court after notably receiving indictments in New York and a dismissal in a Florida state court.
For the Democratic party, current Vice President Kamala Harris will be running alongside Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. This pair has gained plenty of support after the Biden dropout, but let’s take a look at their history and proposed policy. Harris used to be the attorney general for the state of California. Her strengths are in health care, social justice and proposed gun safety legislation. However, she has been criticized on economic experience, immigration policy and her lack of action as vice president.
Let’s take a walk down memory lane to high school government class, a quick refresher may be necessary. The legislative branch of government is split into The Senate and House of Representatives, which together make Congress. They are responsible for drafting, revising and passing bills, as well as sending them to the president to sign into laws. They can also override the presidential veto with a ⅔ majority vote on any bill. Currently, republicans hold majority in the House, while Democrats and Independents who caucus with Democrats hold majority in the Senate.
Depending on where you are a registered voter, you will have a vote for a House representative for your district and possibly a vote for a Senate representative for your state. Be sure to do your research on your respective candidates and their policies before making a decision on Nov. 5.
This cycle, there are 33 Senate seats and all 435 House seats up for reelection. While the race for congress is usually more predictable than the presidential race, there are still multiple “toss up” races on both the House and Senate side. This is extremely important to watch as all the legislation presidential candidates promise to enact in their campaigns can’t go through unless congress allows it. Thus, when congress splits there ends up being an endless cycle of bill introduction and revision. Getting legislation passed or not passed (depending on your stance) is what makes a good politician.
State Offices:
This part of the ballot is where things start to get stratified based on where you are registered to vote. State, city, county, even district lines dictate what you are voting on for an election. For our purposes, the information will be relative to the Point Loma / San Diego area. However, if you need information on your specific ballot, ballotpedia.com is a great resource to find exactly what will be on the Nov. 5 ballot for your area.
California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, is not up for reelection this November. Yet, California has a bicameral legislature composed of a 40 member state Senate and an 80 member state Assembly, both of which have members up for reelection. If you’re a resident of California, these seats should mean more than the federal house and senate seats in Washington D.C.. The decisions that are made in this legislature are all relating to California specific issues. It’s also worth noting California has a state supreme court that has no open seats currently, due to 12 year terms in place.
Local Offices:
Scaling up a step in particularity, let’s pivot to local level voting. This can include voting for mayoral candidates, city council, sheriff or district attorney and school board members. For example, if you live in San Diego city limits, your ballot will have a section for mayoral race between independents Todd Gloria and Larry Turner. You’ll be sure to see these names posted on lawn signs as you drive down Talbot or Catalina. Gloria is San Diego’s current mayor and landslide favorite to win, receiving over half of the total primary votes.
The people running and occupying these positions should be on the top of your list. They aren’t getting paid nearly enough for doing this kind of work. They are supposed to care about the city, county, districts, etc. and want the best for the people living there. If you were to call your respective city council member’s office right now, I’d put money down on a first time answer or return call within the day. Because they can enact ordinances based on issues that occur in your backyard, I believe these candidates should be given the most thought before going in to vote.
Ballot Measures:
The last component your ballot may contain are ballot measures. These are proposals that voters can either vote for or against. Ballot measures can take several forms including initiatives, referendums and recalls. Initiatives are proposals that individuals can make to enact new laws or change older laws. If you see a TV ad promoting or challenging a proposition (sometimes referred to as prop. for short), those same initiatives may be on your ballot.
Referendums are similar to initiatives, but solely based on removing old laws in place. Recalls are a way for the people to keep elected officials in check. Recalls can remove elected officials from office before their terms are up. Ballot measures are important, but are usually backed by the local elected officials. Thus, emphasizing the importance of local officials.
Conclusion:
I know it can seem like alot, but it really doesn’t take much to stay informed. There’s multiple ways to automate political news to your inbox, and a 5 minute read over coffee is quite relaxing. If you are in need of a bit of inspiration, Aristotle, the father of political science, says “The basis of a democratic state is liberty.” This isn’t the most profound fact from the philosopher. However, when paired with our nation’s founding father John Adams’ quote, “Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people, who have a right … and a desire to know,” it starts to provoke some thought about our democracy. If our good friend John is right, the most patriotic thing we can do as Americans is stay informed.
Trip Morrow is a Senior Data Science major from Nahsville, Tennessee. He has experience working on Capitol Hill in both a legislative and technology advisory role. He also has experience working on local initiatives and referendums in his hometown. One of them being a public transit referendum for the Davidson County TN general election ballot on Nov. 5. Trip is currently studying for the LSAT with plans to attend law school post graduation.
Noah Shaw