The upcoming election and its impact on the nation
Graphics by Mitra Andrews
With election day coming up on Nov. 5, Americans are reasonably concerned on how voting this year will affect them in the future.
The main candidates for the Democratic and Republican Parties, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, both have differing ideas and plans for a multitude of national topics such as inflation, climate change, healthcare, immigration, abortion and many more.
Americans are well aware of the spike in the cost of living over the past few years, especially when it comes to housing. According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, “U.S. house prices rose 5.7 percent between the second quarter of 2023 and the second quarter of 2024.”
It isn’t just housing prices that are increasing; it’s rent as well. According to the United States Census Bureau, “rent plus the average monthly cost of utilities and fuels adjusted for inflation — grew faster annually (3.8%) than real median home values (1.8%) in 2023 for the first time in 10 years.”
On her campaign website, Kamala Harris states that she will “provide first-time homebuyers with up to $25,000 to help with their down payments.”
Also in her campaign website, Harris says that regarding the spike in rent prices, she will “sign legislation to outlaw new forms of price fixing by corporate landlords.”
Although it is not mentioned on his campaign website, Donald Trump said in a speech at the Economic Club of New York that “Regulation cost 30% of a new home, and we will open up portions of federal land for large-scale housing construction.”
Climate change is another large issue that is being brought up during this election season. According to the Pew Research Center, “a majority of U.S. adults (54%) describe climate change as a major threat to the country’s well-being.”
Kamala Harris’s plan for tackling climate change includes protecting public land and public health, lowering household energy costs, creating new jobs that focus on combating climate change and holding people responsible for pollution through environmental justice.
Donald Trump’s plan for climate change, according to his campaign website, is to reduce the cost of gasoline, diesel prices and natural gas prices, promoting energy security and eliminating the Green New Deal.
Along with inflation and climate change, healthcare costs are a growing national problem. According to the United States Census Bureau, 15% of households owed medical debt as of 2021.
It isn’t just the financial aspect either. Long wait times are a rising complaint among Americans. A national survey of American adults done by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners found that “more than 40% of respondents have experienced a ‘longer than reasonable’ wait for health care.”
Additionally, 26% of respondents stated that they had to wait more than two months to receive access to a health care provider.
Harris’s plan for healthcare issues include strengthening the Affordable Care Act, extending the $35 cap on insulin and $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket spending for senior citizens to all Americans and allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices with large pharmaceutical companies.
Trump’s plan for healthcare issues include ending surprise medical billing, price transparency and reducing the cost of prescription drugs and health insurance premiums. Moreover, Trump says that he will protect Medicare, Social Security, and patients with pre-existing conditions.
Immigration is another popular topic regarding this year’s election. Harris and Trump both have separate plans on how to handle immigration.
Harris’s plan includes a bipartisan border security bill that would help detect and intercept illegal drugs being smuggled across the border and fund money to hire an additional 1,500 border security agents. Her plan also includes a pathway to citizenship.
Trump’s plan includes ending catch-and-release policies, reinstating Remain in Mexico policies and ending asylum fraud. His plan also includes a merit-based immigration system.
Lastly, abortion rights have been a national subject since the reversal of Roe v. Wade in June of 2022. There are abortion restrictions in 21 states with 13 states having a complete ban on the procedure. Women of all ages across the country are concerned with how abortion rights will play out in the future.
When it comes to abortion, Kamala Harris says “she will never allow a national abortion ban to become law. And when Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom nationwide, she will sign it.”
Trump’s plan for abortion rights is that he would veto a national abortion ban. However, Trump believes that abortion rights should be left to states to decide, but has changed his views on abortion throughout the past.
To learn more about the election and voting information, visit vote.gov.
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