TAYLOR PEPITONE
STAFF WRITER
As students get into the routine of classes and their new environment, the time continues to tick closer to Election Day. More updates come daily on who is doing well, who is not, what is being said and what is being done.
CNN recently posted an update on the polls and it seems that the Democratic Candidate Joe Biden is leading by a 9.1 point average. Unlike the 2016 election, the challenger for this round is receiving much higher ratings. President Donald J. Trump seems to be dropping in popularity as most of the swing states are leaning more towards Biden. CNN says that Mr. Trump is in poor shape when it comes to his political career.
“It’s extremely unlikely that [Trump] will carry the popular vote,” said professor of Political Science, William A. Gorton. “He’s still somewhat of an underdog to win at this point, but he has a very decent shot according to some political scientists and statisticians.”
COVID-19 has also had a great impact on the election. Many are concerned with the idea of holding rallies, mail-in voting and potential voter turnout. DailyDot said that when COVID-19 initially became a significant issue, both Biden and Trump cancelled all rallies and gatherings for the upcoming months.
Voting by mail became a highly considerable idea not only for the safety and well-being of all, but it is also much more convenient for those who cannot make it to the polls on Election Day. This would likely increase the turnout for voters, therefore allowing more people to feel engaged in the approaching election.
When it comes to voting by mail, there is also the worry that not all ballots will be counted properly or on time. Mr. Trump believes that there will be voter fraud involved, so he leans more towards people voting at the polls instead of through the post office.
“Political scientists today speak of what they call the Blue Shift, which is the tendency in recent elections for democrats to gain in the days after the election after the mail-in ballots are counted.” said Gorton.
Police brutality has also played an important role in how the election will play out. People believe that Mr. Trump has done a poor job when it comes to handling the riots, lootings and protests, but mainly their worry stems from his failure to acknowledge the intensity of police brutality. Others believe that he has done a great job with handling it; the main issue comes from how polarized both sides of the political system are.
“It has energized, in particular, the black folks, so you can anticipate high black turnout [at the polls].” said Gorton.
The economy took a brutal hit when the coronavirus stopped production of many businesses and corporations, shut down schools, and much more. WEForum said that it could take the economy possibly up to three years to recover from the impact. Consumer demand is now at a low, which heavily affects the quality of the economy itself.
The overall atmosphere of the 2020 election seems to be frightening for most. Tensions are extremely high on both sides of the scale. The worry tends to lie with the thought of who will end up winning the presidential election.
“Our democracy is going under an extreme stress test.” said Gorton.
It is unknown what these next two months will bring, but voting is the way to make your voice heard.
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