Voters across the country will decide today the 47th president of the United States.
Who the nation chooses will not just affect the rights of the millions of Americans who live in the country, but also countless of others internationally, including those involved in the Israel-Palestine and Russia-Ukraine conflicts.
With the current state of our country and the significant issues it’s facing, we must examine how this election is going to shape the future of our country.
Former President Donald Trump has been criticized for years for disgracing America’s right to a democracy. The Trump Administration has made it clear that they want to limit the right to vote, which would take away the very fundamentals our country was built on, democracy.
This is not to say that Kamala Harris is the perfect candidate either, however. Harris is often criticized for not having a very strong opinion on certain issues, leaving a lot of voters confused about her stances.
Many people don’t look past Trump’s character, which means some may not be incredibly well informed on his policies.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court decided in June 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade and leave the legal battle over abortion to the states, reproductive rights have been a hot topic.
The candidate elected in this presidential election will have a major impact on the future of reproductive rights for women across the nation.
Denying abortion to women is not only hindering women’s rights, but it is also putting their life, and quite possibly their potential child’s life, at risk.
Criminalizing abortion doesn’t stop abortion. It only makes them unsafe.
About 62% of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to a report conducted by Pew Research Center in July 2022.
Oftentimes, women who are getting an abortion are making one of the most difficult decisions of their lives. Many potential mothers are forced to terminate their pregnancies because of medical complications with the child or mother.
Whatever laws the future president puts in place should be there to support women regardless of their choice to keep or terminate their pregnancy.
Education is also a very important matter, especially to young voters.
Suppressing and prohibiting important topics, such as the history of racism and the progression of women’s rights, can seriously limit young people’s education and hinder their learning about important historical events.
Being able to vote in the United States is not just a privilege, but a fundamental right for citizens. Losing and limiting the right to vote would mean America has turned the country over to a candidate with a dangerous, tyrannical idea of authority.
Another important issue for Americans right now is foreign policy, especially the war in Palestine.
The next president will have substantial influence on the current conflict in the Middle East. An understanding that voters must have when making their decision to vote is that Israel is an ally to the US.
No matter your stance on the Israel-Palestine issue, both candidates are forced to fund Israel because of the association between America and Israel formed back in the mid-1900s.
Another critical issue that needs to be addressed by the future president is border security. While having excessive quantities of undocumented migrants poses an undeniable threat to the country, America has been founded on immigrants.
The solution to this problem is not all or nothing. We have more options other than letting everyone through the border versus banning all entries.
Whoever is the next president will decide border policies and what to do with current illegal immigrants.
The winner of this election will be a direct representative of what the country stands for, especially amidst our involvement in current foreign policies.
The democracy this country was founded upon must be upheld by the representative of our nation.