2024 Presidential Election preview: issues concerning youth

With the 2024 election on Tuesday November 5th, Americans all around the country are tensing up in preparation for the dramatic outcomes. Last May, The Talon reported that four main concerns flagged voters’ attention in the presidential race: Donald Trump’s four indictments, the potential use of AI and tech to create deep fakes and misinformation, the age of the candidates, and after the election whether power will be transferred peacefully.

Over the past months a lot has taken place revolving around these topics. 

• Only one of Trump’s legal cases has gone to trial. On May 30 he was convicted of 34 felonies in New York State court but remains eligible to run for office. Partly, as the New York Times explained, to give Trump “more time to challenge his conviction on charges that he falsified records to cover up a sex scandal,” the judge delayed sentencing until after November 26.
• AI and technology have continued to evolve but major effects on politics have not been present. 
• On the Democrats’ side the age issue was taken care of when President Joe Biden stepped down, and Vice President Kamala Harris was chosen as the new candidate. 
• Many are still skeptical about the transfer of power. “Both candidates seem to have cooled down a little bit, which will hopefully mean that there will be that peaceful transfer or power,” said Kayleen Berg, who teaches government classes. The peace aspect will remain unknown until outcomes of the election are solidified. 

Since around 8 million young citizens will be eligible to vote for the first time in the 2024 election, youth perspectives are more prominent than ever. Their worries should be a major focus point for candidates, considering this eager group will have a large impact on the outcomes of this year’s election. Some of the biggest known concerns youth are encountering include: inflation/cost of living, climate change, gun violence/school safety, and immigration policies. So, how are the two candidates handling these topics, and will they be able to secure the youth vote? 

Climate change – 

“Young people are on the whole more concerned about climate change than older people are,” said social studies teacher Nathan Johnson. “The president does have capacity to actually make some climate change action, so I do anticipate that there would be young people who would vote for that reason.” The issue definitely concerns Minnehaha students. “Global warming is a real thing, and it’s getting worse,” said senior Leah DiNardo. “I’m most concerned about how our next president/leader would deal with that and get it under control.” 

Harris on climate change 

Harris is extremely vocal about the need for change in regards to climate, believing that it is an existential threat that the U.S. must address now. “The frequency has accelerated in a relatively short period of time,” said Harris. “The science is clear. Extreme weather will only get worse, and the climate crisis will only accelerate.’’ In 2019, the Biden-Harris campaign released a $10 trillion climate plan that called for investment in renewable energy, including tax rebates for consumers who buy clean-energy products such as electric vehicles and solar panels. The plan also aimed to make polluters liable for their actions and help the communities affected by climate change. In 2024, Harris pointed out that she prosecuted oil companies for environmental violations and cast the tie-breaking vote in the Senate for the Inflation Reduction Act (2022), which promoted clean-energy programs. 

Trump on climate change 

On the other trajectory stands Trump who has often referred to climate change as a “hoax”. The Trump administration supports gas and oil drilling on public lands, including natural parks across the country. After becoming president in 2017, Trump began to implement his “America First Energy Plan” which intended on increasing the U.S role as a global oil and gas producer. Additionally, he signed orders to approve two controversial oil pipelines. Trump argues that concern over climate change is either a hoax or greatly exaggerated. He promotes further focus on fossil fuels for the sake of the economy and has threatened to cancel programs that promote renewable energy.

Economy/cost of living  

With prices rising across all sectors in the country, economy/cost of living is an issue on many young voters minds. “Especially going into college and thinking more about living situations, I’m definitely more aware of it now than I was last year,” Leah DiNardo said. “I can see how it is impacting people, especially young adults.” 

Harris on economy/cost of living 

Two years ago, inflation in the U.S. peaked around 9%, but it has dropped below 2.5% in recent months. “When I am elected president, I will make it a top priority to bring down costs and increase economic security for all Americans,” Harris said. “As president I will take on the high costs that matter to most Americans.” Her policy priorities include lowering prices for home buyers and cutting taxes for middle-class families. In regards to inflation, Harris has proposed to ban price gouging on groceries. “We all know that prices went up during the pandemic when the supply chains shut down and failed,” Harris said. “But our supply chains have now improved and prices are still too high.” In addition to this, she plans on cutting costs for homebuyers by implementing her American Dream plan. This calls for the build of 3 million new housing units over the next four years, and proposes $25,000 in downpayment support for first-time home buyers. Lastly, she plans to cut the cost of taxes by having higher taxes aimed at business and high earners. She would additionally support the child tax credit and other tax credits. 

Trump on economy/cost of living 

In regards to the economy and the cost of living, Trump has promised to impose large tariffs (taxes on imported goods). Trump said he intends to impose a 20% tariff on all imports, and a 60% or higher tariff on goods imported from China. The idea is to make foreign goods more expensive, so that U.S. consumers prefer U.S. goods and foreign companies build factories in the U.S. “Other countries are going to, finally, after 75 years, pay us back for all that we’ve done for the world,” Trump said. “We will rapidly drive prices down and make America affordable again.” Although the plan is popular with many voters, economists are skeptical. As Kent Smetters of the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Wharton Budget Model told the Associated Press in October, “There’s no question that tariffs are inflationary.’’

Crime rates and gun violence

While crime rates change from year to year and depend on location, the overall rate of violent crime in the U.S. fell by 49% between 1993 and 2022, and property crime fell by 59% during that time, according to the Pew Research Center. Meanwhile, annual Gallup surveys show that a majority of Americans believe (often incorrectly) that crime is getting worse each year. This perception means that voters will take a close look at both candidates on these issues.

Guns are the leading cause of death for children, teens and young adults in America, according to a report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, and gun violence disproportionately impacts Black youth. Gun deaths among youths more than doubled between 2013 and 2022, the report said. With these large numbers, students at Minnehaha expressed deep concerns about this issue. “Gun violence is an extremely big deal, especially in school communities,” sophomore Hans Adams said. “I hope people take this into account when voting.”

Harris on crime rates and gun violence 

In her campaign, Harris has stressed that during her time in the legal system as a district attorney and California attorney general, and in national government as a U.S. Senator and Vice President, she has been dedicated to building a future free from gun violence. Harris has three main talking points related to gun violence:

• Keep weapons of war out of community neighborhoods + out of reach from extremists;

• Freedom means protecting women and families;
• Freedom means our kids and schools are safe.

Readers who want more details could research three programs that Harris supports: First Step Act, Red-Flag laws, and greater enforcement of background checks to ensure safety. 

Trump on crime rates and gun violence 

Donald Trump has opposed reforms to gun laws and instead said that better care should be provided to people with mental-health issues. He has boasted about his support for the National Rifle Association (NRA), America’s largest gun lobbying group. “During my four years nothing happened,” Trump said at the NRA’s Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, Penn. “There was great pressure on me having to do with guns. We did nothing. We didn’t yield.” He called himself the “best friend gun owners have ever had in the White House.” Voters should see a clear difference between Harris and Trump on these issues.

Immigration 

Harris on immigration 

Throughout the past months Harris has been vocal about her intentions towards immigration. She intends on shutting down private immigration detention centers, creating a path for citizenship for undocumented immigrants (especially youth) and overall restricting deportations. She hopes to sign a tough border compromise that would close loopholes in the asylum process making it easier for the president to shut down the border when needed. The laws within the Biden administration that you are unable to cross the border unauthorized will remain the same if she is elected. 

Trump on immigration 

In 2023, Trump said that he intends to apply the largest mass deportation of undocumented immigrants in American history similar to the “Operation Wetback.” He wishes to collect undocumented immigrants and deport them in large groups, an act known as “expedited removal”. Having more staff to organize this would help its efficiency which Trump entends on implementing. “Under my leadership, we will use all necessary state, local, federal and military resources to carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history,” said Trump.

Conclusion 

In order for either candidate to follow through with their vows, they will need to work with congress to pass any bill into law. The outcomes of the federal elections this fall will have a large impact on either presidential candidate to advance their agendas and have these large plans put into action.