As the future voice of the United States, it's time that we started voicing our opinions on major debate topics such as reproductive rights, student debt, gun control, income inequality, immigration, U.S jobs and the economy.
With only two democrat candidates: Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and six republican candidates: Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Marco Rubio, and Donald J. Trump, things are heating up. If you want to see which candidate is right for you check out I Side With.
With only a couple of months left in Barack Obama's second term, the campaign for the next president of the United States is in full swing, so it is time to start paying attention to some of the major issues of the campaign.
1. The Supreme Court
On January 20, 2017, when the 45th President of the United States is sworn in, two of the nine sitting justices— Anthony Kennedy and the Notorious Ruth Bader Ginsburg—will be more than 80 years old. Meanwhile, Obama will find a replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia who died February 13th, 2016.
2. The Affordable Care Act
Ever since the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, was created, Republicans have openly attacked and vowed to repeal Obamacare. Any Republican who wins in 2016 will be obligated to use any power available to him to undo this law, which will by then be covering about 40 million Americans.
3. Free Education
Bernie Sanders' promise of making public college free has given him a lot of support. Senator Sanders labels himself as a self-proclaimed democratic socialist. Democratic socialism advocates for a democratic political system with a socialist economic system. This means that while the country would operate democratically at a political level, production remains under social ownership instead of state ownership. Regardless, Bernie Sanders is gaining many of the 18-29 year old demographic. Can you feel the Bern, Hillary?
4. Inequality
Both a racial and gender level inequality is prevalent throughout the United States. The Black Lives Matter movement in 2013 has gained great traction over the past three years. The most recent issue was regarding the protests at the University of Missouri (Mizzou). Meanwhile, in 2014, female full-time workers made only 79 cents for every dollar earned by men, a gender wage gap of 21 percent. Paying attention to the debates will allow you to see which candidate genuinely cares about this issue and what they plan to do about it. It's about time that the Black Lives Matter movement and women demand for equality.
The main question remains to be why bother? Many have become disillusioned with our voting system, believing that their vote doesn’t matter. But that’s where they’re wrong. Your vote matters more now than it ever has.
As of 2015, Millennials now outnumber baby boomers, which means college students are officially the most sought after voting demographic. So get ready for a tumoltulous election year, get involved, and voice your opinions!
