Stakes are high for many who are desperately depending on the outcome of this election to see a shift in this country’s current climate of injustice and inequality. And with the nation’s current president not making a clear stance on current racial issues, voting will be more crucial, now than ever.
With the rise in national protests due to minority deaths at the hands of police, especially during a pandemic, many were eager to hear from the president on his plan to protect the people who choose to peacefully assemble. Some may have already made up their mind on the best candidate for president and others who were still looking for each candidate’s response to current systemic issues, were all tuned in to the first presidential debate which took place on Tuesday.
“Will you urge your supporters to stay calm during this extended period, not to engage in any civil unrest and will you pledge tonight, that you will not declare victory until the election has been independently certified,” Chris Wallace, the Fox News moderator for the first 2020 presidential debate said.
Wallace directed this question to President Trump, who many fear won’t leave the White
House even if he loses this upcoming election. Trump responded to Wallace with a series of questions like, “Do you think that’s good?”
This coming after accusing Philadelphia of having waste baskets full of votes for Trump, which will only incite more fear in voters, especially Trump supporters.
“It’s important that we know more about the candidates, and today in 2020, younger people have more access than we did 20-30 years ago when learning about candidates,” said Tangela Sears, a political consultant of Miami.
Sears also expressed the importance of candidates educating people on their stance with certain issues in order to increase voter participation. She also talked about why citizens should research the voting history of elected officials and what they have done in their past that connects with current issues of today.
“We’ve ignored the community positions for so long because we vote for big ticket items like president and congress and we don’t realize that the down ballots are closer to home and affect us so much,” said Eric Riley, who has experience in running a gubernatorial campaign.
Riley also said that Kentucky is a good example, in regards to the case of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman who was fatally shot in Louisville, Ky., during a “no knock” search warrant served by LMPD. The original transcripts weren’t released until after many protests and by voting the right way these types of things can be prevented.
Younger people are tuned in now more than ever and it’s important that the candidates speak to the unheard youth who are on the frontlines of protests, who are actively looking for work during Covid-19, who have healthcare concerns and that are unsure of the future of the education system.
There are many people who fear going to voting polls or just are unsure of the voting process during the pandemic, but for the sake of seeing change, we must make every vote count.