This year's election is by far the most contentious I've ever seen, maybe even in the history of our country. People showed up in record numbers to the polls, voted early, or mailed in ballots to have a say in what will probably be the most important election of our lifetimes. According to Bloomberg, 42 states saw an increase in voting from 2016, and they estimate that between 68%-72% of voting-age citizens voted. Millions of people, whether because they just came of age or because they simply had never felt the need to vote before, voted for the first time in 2020. It is evident that people know this election will have significant implications whichever way it goes, but the issue with this election is the difference in why people are voting, and voting in these record-breaking numbers.
The main arguments I've seen for Trump have been issues of money, of the economy and profit. People voted for him to keep their taxes low or to have a President willing to reopen the country before it should be. People voted for him to grow or protect their own wealth. People voting for Biden, on the other hand, did so because they have much more to lose should Trump get another four years. In the time of COVID-19, access to affordable healthcare has never been more important, and yet millions of Americans are left without life-saving care. The protests and riots earlier this year in response to police brutality brought issues of racial inequality and violence to the world stage, proving once again that our "progressive" country has a long way to go until there is truly liberty and justice for all. Women all across the country are terrified that they will lose their right to choose, especially with the recent appointment of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. LGBT+ people could very well see their rights to get married, gifted to us only four years ago, stripped away. Peoples' lives are on the line here, their access to healthcare and their right to live and love. We voted for Biden, not because we wanted to, but because we had to.
When we compare these reasons, it is plain to see that privilege affects who we chose to vote for. White people, men, in particular, don't have to worry about police brutality or reproductive rights because it doesn't affect them. In fact, changes made to help alleviate these social troubles might negatively impact them, so why should they care? I don't have the vocabulary or mental dexterity to explain to someone why they should have compassion for people even when they get nothing out of it, so I won't try to, but compassion is what made me vote for Biden as a white woman. I know that, ultimately, I will be relatively fine because of my privilege, but many people can't say the same and I voted for them. I don't like Biden and I have a lot of issues with what he has done in the past, but a vote for him is a vote against Trump. Biden is a means to an end, a step in the right direction for the future of this country, but I'm definitely not happy about it. I don't have to be. What matters is that we vote with love instead of greed.
Whichever way this election goes, there will be great civil unrest in this country. We have become increasingly polarized, particularly since the start of the pandemic, and whoever wins will make about half of this country unhappy. What I hope to see, though, is people realizing the impact of who they vote for and why they do it. Rather than blindly following parties or voting with your wallet, we need to move towards leaders that will make America the country it was supposed to be, and make that ideal accessible to everyone.
