Staff Writer: Grace Cohen
2020 has been an eventful year and the upcoming presidential election does not break from that theme. The election is being held on November 3, when US citizens who are 18 or older can vote for who they see fit to stand in the Presidential office. Those running for election into the Oval Office consist of a nominee from the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, and any independent parties.
The Democratic nominee has been determined to be Joe Biden, the former vice president under the Obama Administration, and he accepted the nomination officially at the Democratic National Convention. The Convention was held from August 17-20 and included a range of speakers from varying political affiliations, some being Bernie Sanders (Democratic-Socialist), John Kasich (Republican), and Michelle Obama, the wife of former president Barack Obama.
Joe Biden officially accepted the Democratic nomination for president with his vice President as Kamala Harris. This is a landmark moment as Kamala Harris is the first black woman to receive and accept a nomination for vice president from either of the two major parties.
Joe Biden was a US Senator from 1972-2008, when he accepted the vice-presidential nomination alongside Obama as the presidential nominee. Biden served as vice president for two full terms until 2016, when Donald Trump then won the presidency over Hilary Clinton.
The DNC also included the official nomination and acceptance of Biden’s vice president and running mate, Kamala Harris. Harris was the former Attorney General of California before running for Senate in 2016 and winning, becoming the second African American woman to serve in the Senate. She reached another milestone in becoming the first woman of color to make it onto a major party ticket as Vice President.
The Republican Party nominee is once again the current president, Donald Trump, who is pursuing a second term in office alongside his current vice president, Mike Pence. The Republican National Convention was held from August 24-27, and featured speakers such as current Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (Republican), and Rand Paul, the Republican Senator from Kentucky. Another notable speaker was also Melania Trump, making a rare speaking appearance on television as the wife of Donald Trump.
Donald Trump and Mike Pence are nominated again by the Republican Party to potentially win the presidential office, with a victory meaning a second term as president and vice president for both of them.
Donald Trump is the current President of the United States after winning the 2016 presidential election and is in pursuit of a second term with this year’s election. While not a politician prior to the 2016 election, Trump is famous for his past work on reality television and for being a multi-billionaire businessman. This lack of political experience back in 2016 was a concern for many, but also a large reason why many decided to vote for him.
Claire Koch, a junior, voiced her opinion on Trump’s lack of political experience, saying, “I think it’s important for Presidential nominees to have prior political experience when going into a role as big as the President.”
Mike Pence once again received and accepted the Republican nomination for vice president as the running mate to Trump. Pence was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from 2000-2013, and then became the Governor of Indiana from 2013 until the 2016 election.
Tensions appear to be much more palpable for this election between both parties, the stakes being incredibly high for both the people and the politicians. Conflicts on both party sides center around the character and integrity of both Trump and Biden.
Zoe Cohen, a sophomore, states, “A President’s character is so important in times of conflict, and I think what voters need to look for in the candidates is whether or not they will be able to bring more peace to the U.S. instead of dividing it.”
At both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, the speakers focused their time towards highlighting the negatives of the opposing party and why their own nominees combat those behaviors or leadership methods. Republicans continued to accentuate Trump’s business background and his status as a political outsider that has offered something different for the American people. Democrats focused more on the current state of the country and how Biden will offer solutions to bring the people together.
Voting for the 2020 Election takes place on November 3. It is currently set to have in-person voting centers with options for absentee voting or mail in voting instead. In order to vote, one must be registered, and it is possible to register to vote even if not 18 as long as an individual will be 18 as of election day. Local information about voting sites is available online in addition to any other voting requirements or options in the State of Georgia.
The Wolverine Times 
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