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  2020-08-16

  Elections during a pandemic

  The 2020 election is arguably going to one of the most important ones in American History. Not only because of the explosive tension between the two candidates but also because of COVID-19. This invisible enemy has crippled not only our nation but the world. It has forced countries to shut down, leaving economies unstable and politics shaky as ever. In some countries, the virus has brought leaders together. In the U.S, it has deepened the bipartisanship. Rather than reaching across the aisle, both Republicans and Democrats use this pandemic for their political gains. The conversation of COVID has not only a global issue but is also treated as a Presidential Candidate debate topic. The health of our nation is vastly essential; however, politicians do not hesitate to point fingers when numbers continue to rise. Not surprisingly, the most controversial opinion is coming from President Trump, who boldly stated he would be pushing back the Presidential Election. This is not Constitutional legal, nor does he have the power to enforce this. With Americans eager to vote for the upcoming election, we are faced with the following predicament; how do we ensure our voters' safety? Many leaders are leaning and enforcing, state by state mail-in ballots. Eligible voters are mailed ballots before the official election day and send it back to the appropriate party. However, even with this solution, there has been push back from Washington. Currently, the Trump administration has cut funding for the United States Postal Office. In an interview, he "frankly acknowledged that he's starving the postal service of that money to make it harder to process an expected surge of mail-in ballots" (Riccardi, N. 2020). Studies have shown that Democrats are more willing to vote via mail. With this, Trump is taking every precaution to slow the Democratic wave that is approaching the White House. Obama, who is usually silent during politics, has called Trump out for financially starving the postal service. Not only is COVID changing the way we vote, but it is also changing the landscape of American Health Care. More than ever, Health Care for all Americans is being supported and pushed onto the next president. When casting their ballot, Americans are now asking themselves, 'who can take care of my family and I best during a pandemic?'. It has been clear that this virus is not going away, and we are expecting another wave. With this in mind, we have to ask who is best suited to guide us through this apocalyptic world.