On Nov. 5, people all across the country will be casting their votes in the 2024 presidential election. With President Biden stepping out of the race, to the closest presidential campaign dropout to an election in United States history, to celebrities like Elon Musk monopolizing on the Republican Party, these final months have been some of the most eventful that I have ever seen in my time on this planet. For the most part, I am surrounded by people who are adamant on the importance of voting. I still hear the whispers from my classmates asking the question: “Does my vote really matter?”
On one hand, I understand this question; being a college student in the United States means being constantly bombarded with political turmoil and being put in circumstances where the American government feels hopeless. We’ve watched the transfer of power from former President Barack Obama to Donald Trump in 2016, and then the more violent transfer of power of former President Trump to Biden in 2020. We have watched as safety nets like the 1973 Roe V. Wade’s Supreme Court ruling were ripped away, with fears that abortion may become unprotected everywhere. And now, we are watching the country consistently shoot down bills that could protect the planet from climate change, transgender youth, and so many more. However, I think this constant political turmoil is the EXACT reason why your vote really does matter.
I could simply end my argument by saying that if you choose to not vote, you forfeit the right to complain about the outcome. But instead I want to lay out a much more helpful (and less petty) argument. Voting in the 2024 presidential election doesn’t just mean you are voting for the next president. Instead, it also includes voting for bills that you want passed, and Supreme Court justices that you think are best fit for the country.
As we saw during Trump’s presidency, who is in the Supreme Court matters the most. During his time, Trump had the ability to appoint three Supreme Court justices: Brett Kavanagh, Amy Coney Barret and Neil Gorsuch. All three of those judges later voted yes on the topic overturning Roe v. Wade as well as voting 6-3 in Trump V. The United States which decided that a former president had “absolute immunity” from prosecution. These decisions are only two among the dozens of decisions the Supreme Court has made that made significant impacts on the United States.
are two Supreme Court justices who are considering retirement. If former President Donald Trump were to win in this election, this would allow Trump to reshape the Supreme Court as he sees fit. Not only would these Supreme Court justices be elected during Trump’s term, they would be in power for the rest of their life, instilling the Trump legacy into the judicial branch. This would directly affect our college student generations, as more progressive issues like climate change and reproductive rights would be further at risk in a Trump-appointed Supreme Court.
I have probably already made my political affiliations obvious within this viewpoint, something that a few years ago I would be wary about. However, as I wrote this article, I came to the conclusion that I could not stay neutral in an election that puts the rights of so many people I know and love at risk.
I (like most people who are reading this article) have already gone through a four year term of Donald Trump. I have experienced the incredibly dangerous environment that his administration fostered during their time. I, as many other people with a uterus know, we cannot afford to put our reproductive rights at risk once again.
As Former First Lady Michelle Obama put so eloquently on social media the other day: “In states that are already putting abortion bans into effect, [Trump’s] FDA could further outlaw patchwork systems of telehealth appointments and mail-order pills, thereby eliminating the last remaining protections for women in those states, he could take actions to effectively ban abortions nationwide.”
In recent months, Trump has become quite the political chameleon, reshaping his stance on abortion to appeal more to undecided voters. I must go with my gut and take his actions from the last four years of his presidency at face value and remember that he was the man who put these rights at risk in the first place.
Another four years of Donald Trump would be catastrophic for not only the American people, but would put international populations under risk as well. As we saw during his previous presidency, Trump put an enormous emphasis on getting close to leaders like Kim Jong Un of North Korea as well as President Putin of Russia. He has pledged that if he were to be elected again, he would put an immediate end to the Ukraine-Russia War. While the ending of a war could be perceived as a beneficial decision, Trump would end the war by allowing Russia to fully recapture Ukraine, taking away the country’s autonomy and allowing for Russia to restart their conquest of their previous territories. And now with the added layer of North Korea becoming involved, I can assure you that Trump’s previous affiliations with Kim Jong Un would continue to threaten global security.
In the same vein, I understand that a huge decider for people in the 2024 election has been the Israel-Palestine war which has become a very prominent issue. I am outraged by the war that has broken out in the Middle East and the war crimes committed by Israel. I completely agree with the criticisms of President Biden by backing Israel he has aided the genocide of the Palestinian people. I understand the weariness that comes with Kamala Harris, who has been backing Biden’s decisions throughout the conflict. However, I do not think that voting third party is the way to solve this issue.
I truly wish that we had a more progressive choice that has a chance to win, but this is not the case. Voting third party will not solve this issue, it will just increase the chance that a person with significantly more unfavorable views on the Middle East will win. At his own rally last saturday, Trump allowed Rudy Giuliani to openly mock and diminish the Palestinian people by saying that “Palestinians are taught to kill us (American citizens) at two years old”. A vote for a third party candidate is a vote for Trump. You would be removing yourself from helping to keep a country safe from a man who made it his mission to make America as unsafe as possible for those in the minority.
I write this article to beg the last undecided voters to please vote blue. I will never be one to glorify a political candidate. However, Kamala Harris is the only way that we can ensure another four years safe from Donald Trump. If you care about international issues, women’s reproductive rights, climate change, and protection for the LGBTQ community and many more issues, please vote blue.