US 2020 Elections - Essay Example

Introduction

The US 2020 elections have been anticipated by many, especially because of the presidential elections. However, voters will also be electing the Congress. The 2020 presidential elections will be the 59th quadrennial elections. However, the 2020 elections will be quite different because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many citizens have said they expect having difficulties voting during the pandemic. There is a high possibility that the elections might be affected in a way due to the pandemic, and some people might not be willing to participate. However, most American citizens take the presidential seat seriously because of the key issues they wish should be addressed by the incoming president.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Crucial Influence

The US presidential election is very crucial even to other world countries due to its huge influence. There are two major political parties in the US, the Democrats, and the Republicans. The Democrats are the liberal political party, whereas the Republicans are the conservative political party in the US. In all elections that have been held in the US, the winning candidate belongs to either of the parties. An electoral college elects the president, and the winner must get 270 or more of the total cast votes (US Presidential Election). The voters make voting decisions at a state level instead of at the national level; this makes it possible for a candidate to win the popular vote but lose the electoral vote.

The Democrats mainly focus on the issues of civil rights through ending discrimination based on race, language, origin, gender and sexual orientation, universal health care for every American through acts such as Affordable Care and Medicaid, climate change issues that threaten the economy, health, and national security(BBC News). The Democrats also focus on the provision of high-quality education and solving the whole issue of immigration by protecting the rights of immigrants. On the other hand, the Republicans will be pushing their election agenda through the following issues; on the aspect of immigration, the Republicans support immigration policies that aim to protect American workers by y promoting economic nationalism.

Both Parties

Unlike the Democrats, the Republicans are against universal health care and prefer private based health insurance. The policies pushed by both parties play a crucial impact in determining the presidential outcome because citizens will support the candidate whose party promotes policies that are favourable to them (The Washington Post). Most citizens have asserted that the economy will play a very critical role when deciding whom to vote for during the much-anticipated election.

In the 2020 U. S presidential elections, the incumbent president, Donald Trump, will be seeking reelection in his Republican Party while his major opponent Biden will be running for the presidential seat for the third time in the Democrats party. Biden served as the vice -president during Barrack Obama's era for eight good years, therefore making him very politically experienced. Current polls done by The New York Times indicate that after the presidential debate, Biden was leading. However, there have been fluctuations in most of these polls; however, Joe Biden, the Democrats candidate, has been ahead of Trump in most US states. The top issues for citizens supporting Biden are health, the COVID-19 pandemic, racial inequality and climate change. On the other hand, Trump supporters have prioritized on the economy, immigration, and gun policy.

As aforementioned, the COVID-19 pandemic has profound effects on the political state of the US economy and the 2020 election outcomes. The mass casualty due to COVID-19 in the last few months has a profound impact on policies to be made. Such policies include those related to healthcare, immigration, education, gun ownership, and environmental issues(Johnson et al.,251). The COVID-19 pandemic has also affected the presidential campaigns having a significant impact on other political issues.

Effect of the Pandemic

The effect of the pandemic on the economy might have far-reaching effects on the presidential elections to be held in the next 31 days. Currently, the rate of economic recession has continued to increase, hurting employment. The unemployment rate has been very high, making the economy fall drastically (BBC News). The state of the economy in the next month could have a crucial impact on the presidential outcome. If Donald Trump can make effective policy changes in the economy, he stands a better chance in the election. However, the economy continues to fail; there is a higher likelihood that voters will prefer Joe Biden to Trump. The COVID-19 pandemic has, in some way, favoured Biden because most voters will consider Trump's response to the COVID-19 when deciding on whom to vote for (Johnson et al., 252).

Moreover, the issue of the COVID-19 vaccine has been a major issue. There has been an issue with the credibility of Trump's statement that the COVID -19 vaccine may be available in November. In a country with 6 million COVID-19 cases and hundreds of thousands in fatalities, the credibility of such statements may have an impact on many American voters' decisions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the US 2020 presidential election outcome will depend on numerous factors considering the elections are being held amid a pandemic, which has led to severe economic effects due to the recession. American citizens are looking forward to making voting decisions that will change the current economic situation and deal effectively with the pandemic. The mode of voting might also affect the election outcome due to the current COVID-19 prevention strategies, with Republicans being against the postal voting mode. Trump claims that this mode of voting might lead to fraud. Therefore, some issues need to be dealt with before the elections are held.

Works Cited

Adam, Nagourney and Michael M. The New York Times. "US Presidential Elections" 5 Sept 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/topic/subject/presidential-elections-us

BBC News. "US election 2020:A really simple guide.25 Sept 2020.
https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-53785985

Johnson, Andrew F., Wendi Pollock, and Beth Rauhaus. "Mass casualty event scenarios and political shifts: 2020 election outcomes and the US COVID-19 pandemic." Administrative Theory & Praxis 42.2 (2020): 249-264. https://doi.org/10.1080/10841806.2020.1752978

The Washington Post "We're asking 2020 Democrats where they stand on key issues" Sept 2020.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/policy-2020/.