The 2024 election season is one of the most eventful in re- cent memory, between the upset of President Biden dropping out, Donald Trump’s felony convictions, and wor- ries about the preservation of democ- racy in the United States. The results of this election will go down as one of the most important in the nation’s history.
What exactly are the policy plans of both parties? Despite the United States undertaking one of the most effective economic recoveries, with high GDP growth and the largest decrease in inflation among the G7 countries, economic worries are still the highest issue for voters.
The Harris campaign is focused on what she calls an “opportunity economy” which focuses on tax credits for young families, first time home buyers, and small business- es. She also hopes to continue Biden’s administration policies focused on bringing down costs for health care and prescription medicines.
Donald Trump plans to cut taxes for American workers, specifi- cally enacting a policy of no taxes on tips for service workers. Trump plans to implement high tariffs on imported goods, in hopes that the increased costs will encourage people to buy American-made products instead. Trump also promises to curb inflation. Both parties’ campaigns focus heavily on border policies. During his cam- paign, Trump has claimed that there are over 20,000,000 illegal immigrants in this country. According to a PBS fact check, border officials have report- ed only 10,000,000 encounters with undocumented migrants over the past four years.
During the Vice-Presiden- tial debate, JD Vance claimed that, “about a million migrants have criminal backgrounds.” The director of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) claims that around 600,000 non-citizens have outstanding criminal charges. The Department of Homeland security reports an even lower number, claiming that out of all border crossings, only 100,000 have been flagged for a criminal record.
Kamala Harris wants to extend the border policies of the Biden administration, while also reviving the bi-partisan border security bill. This bill, which was rejected by House Republicans earlier this year, focuses on expanding the power of Homeland Security, and making the process of reviewing asylum claims easier for immigration courts.
The Democratic party has made abor- tion access a clear priority throughout the 2024 campaign. In the summer of 2022, the Republican dominated Su- preme Court overturned Roe v Wade, allowing states to decide their own abortion laws.
Trump has taken credit for the strict abortion laws spreading through Republican states, as he appointed the conservative Su- preme Court justices during his presidency. Vice President Harris hopes to reinstate Roe v Wade at the national level.
Democrats are critical of Project 2025. The Trump campaign has distanced itself from the policy plan written by the Heritage Foundation, a think tank that has been creating policies for Re- publican administrations since the 1980s. Project 25 intends to strengthen the powers of the presidency, expand the power of the FBI, and close the Department of Education. Project 2025 also supports a nationwide abortion ban, as well as restrictions on IVF and contraceptives. The plan includes limited spending on green energy, and increasing the production of fossil fuels; both of which go hand in hand with proposed tax cuts for big business.
No matter the winners of the election, results are sure to cause frustration among both party members. On January 6th, 2021, Donald Trump attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election. For the past four years, Trump has continued to deny the results of the election. During the vice presidential debate, JD Vance said he would not stand in the way if another insurrection was attempted, as Mike Pence had.
Donald Morton is the Global Politics and World Religions teacher at WFS. When asked what issue he thought should be most im- portant for voters, he answered with one word: “Democracy.”
In the last few weeks of the election, neither side has man- aged to gain a clear advantage. Both Democrats and Republicans still have possible paths to victory, and hopes and worries are high amongst all voters.
The campaigning, debates, and speeches only go so far, as most voters have already made up their minds by now. This elec- tion will be decided by those who are still sitting on the fence.
