Kailey Krantz | Staff Writer
Thanks to the disastrous presidential debate, our confidence in either candidate is waning fast. Voting for the 2024 presidential candidate has gotten more divisive.
Last Friday, the highly anticipated debate between current President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump ended up being so cataclysmic that it left me with very little confidence as a voter – and I’m not the only one.
This debate was supposed to show the candidates at their best but in reality, it did the opposite. Instead of telling voters what to expect from their policies if they were to be elected they bickered like two elementary school kids.
From seeing Biden stutter to Trump using every opportunity to bully Biden like they’re back at grade school left all voters concerned about our country’s future.
The choice has now become voting for someone who struggles with cognitive abilities or voting for a convicted felon – either choice is not great for most voters.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this debate becomes a reason for an even lower voter turnout. It’s pretty easy to feel like we’re doomed—no matter which candidate wins— so why vote?
Low voter turnout is already a major issue and this debate gives me no hope that it will get any better. In a time when negativity gets more attention in the media, the debate only fueled the fire between the two political parties.
I should be voting for someone who has strong political ideas and a concrete plan on how to execute them, not someone who is only seen as a lesser extreme.
As a college student, it sucks how we’re taught the importance of voting and its effects on our daily lives like the economy, job opportunities, reproductive rights, racial, sexuality and gender equality.
Yet, we’re given candidates who don’t give the impression that they’re willing to address these issues properly.
How can we make informed decisions as voters if we’re almost given nothing to work with to help us decide who the better candidate is?
Despite the debate being a complete joke, it’s vital now more than ever to fight against low voter turnout when young adults aren’t interested in voting— all because we’re tired of seeing political promises going undelivered.
The debate gave the candidates an opportunity to point fingers at each other which wasn’t the point. After the debate, I don’t think I could confidently say that I fully understand what policies these candidates are trying to promote.
It’s becoming more and more obvious that Biden and Trump were chosen as their respective political party’s candidates not because they were fit for the job, but because they were the most well-known.
We shouldn’t be relying on name recognition alone to choose the candidates that will run the country. We should be choosing and backing up candidates that will do the job correctly and effectively and voting makes all the difference.
There is too much at stake for the next four years to skip out on voting. Every vote matters and is one of the few things we can do as citizens to keep democracy alive.
DISCLAIMER:
The opinions presented on this page do not represent the views of the PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.
Serious question: are you aware of any other resources about what the candidates’ policies are? Their websites, their speeches, their actual accomplishments? Both of them have done the job before and have talked extensively about their plans for the next four years should they win.
There is plenty of information on these candidates that a debate won’t give you.
Do the work!