With the presidential election right around the corner, Americans face opposing perceptions between the two candidates. Joe Biden and Donald Trump are set to be on the ballot Nov. 3 with some voters unsatisfied with both parties.
Choosing who to vote for in this upcoming election is a major decision because the state of the world is in a pandemic. Some Americans are unsure about who to vote for as both parties fail to appeal to their beliefs on how the country should be governed. In an effort to send a message, some voters are considering sitting out in this election.
Ina Morton, 20, spoke with Ailsa Chang in a podcast known as Consider This from National Public Radio. For Morton both candidates are far from who she believes should take the oath in 2021. She doesn’t intend on voting in the election this year due to frustrations she has with the Democratic party as chosen candidates continue to take the same stance on issues.
“I’ve seen, like, even under the most progressive president to date, Barack Obama, you know, the protesters were still brutalized in Ferguson and at Standing Rock. And then the same thing is happening again,” said Morton. “I think now is a time to, like, have a little faith in the idea of being radical and reimagining what the world could look like.”
There are many different lenses to look through when considering what a new world would look like. During this election, Democratic officials can’t rely on the votes of young Americans to be an ally, according to Morton. Protests have risen all across the country in the fight for racial injustices and activists believe mainstream Democrats have failed to embrace the changes they want to see.
In an article for The Washington Post, activist Bernice Lauredan with the Tampa Dream Defenders shouts,“Go home, Jane,” during a protest following the death of George Floyd. Jane Castor, who is a Democratic mayor of Tampa and has supported the Black Lives Matter movement, wanted to speak to the crowd of protesters. Lauredan didn’t think Castor understood the real issues activists wanted to be addressed, such as defunding the police that have regularly targeted Black people.
“I don’t believe just having a ‘D’ by your name immediately makes you the savior,” said Lauredan.“And I would say that for every Democrat I know, we have to look at solutions that are really going to invest in our communities. We need to change not just the surface-level issues.”
According to a report posted by the Pew Research Center, 48 percent of Americans say “they are not too satisfied” with the presidential candidates. However, voter satisfaction is much greater than it was in 2016 when Trump and Clinton were on the ballot. Reasoning for voter support is so different across the board yet 56 percent of registered voters say they support Biden simply because he isn’t Trump.
Registered voters who are on the fence about what candidate to support, should take a good look at the current state of world. However, staying silent in this election might be a new alternative to make their message more transparent.