2024 Election
The 2024 Election: Voices of a Nation in Transition
The U.S. is at a critical crossroads as the 2024 presidency comes around the corner, From climate change to economic reform and civil rights, voters nationwide are wrestling with big questions of the future. But this election is more than a mere squabble between two candidates — it represents an existential crossroads along the path of our fledgling nation. From small-town voters to urban activists, their voices reveal fear and anxiety over the future of our cities.
A Divided Nation Facing Uncertainty
Monica Greene, a 28-year-old elementary school teacher in Houston, TX, said: “The country feels more divided than ever.” “Like everyone has planted their own flag in the ground and is just not going to hear it from anything other than what fits with that. We need leaders that can bring us together.
It was a sentiment that echoed throughout the election — for better or worse. Social media puts a microphone on disagreement, cable news outlets proliferate the tribal mindset — political polarization has become rife. A 2024 Pew Research Center study revealed that two-thirds of adults reported feeling political debates in America are more negative than ever, and three-quarters said discussions used to be less conflated;
It's personal for a lot of voters, too. The moderate left has abandoned the far-Left that is destroying America, but we are slowly losing family members to this radical and virulent ideology [MAXN]. Which is why the 2024 election isn’t simply about policy. It is about mending the festering wounds which are dividing American society.
Young Voters Demand Change
In the 2024 election, one of the most significant developments in the run-up to Election Day is that younger voters are becoming key parts.Focus on the issues, return to the lobby, and sign up. You should agree to receive updates from politico, and you may unsubscribe at any time. But while Generation Z—many of whom will be voting in their first or second presidential election ever this fall—unquestionably wants change across the board on a platform including climate policy as well as social and economic equity—the question remains: Will they vote?
“Instead of leaders who will finally acknowledge the climate crisis, we need ones that treat it like one,” says Kamariorah Williams, a 21-year-old college student at Texas Southern University. We no longer can put the stuff behind us. Our future depends on it.”
That concern is echoed by a significant proportion of Gen Z and millennial voters who say climate change will be the top additional issue in 2024. Environmental degradation is already making itself felt across the country, from wildfires in California to hurricanes along the Gulf Coast. The Harvard Institute of Politics says 72% of voters under age 30 believe climate change will affect them directly, and that the issue could impact their vote this year (56%).
Still, it's not just climate change that is firing up the youth vote. The next presidential election is also a referendum on economic opportunity, racial justice and affordable healthcare.
A lot of the youth who are left behind believe in a system that is not theirs. Young workers are making less in wages than they would have 20 years ago, for the same or more work if you account for inflation, while housing and education costs have through-the-roof skyrocketed during that time frame, according to a report by the Economic Policy Institute. Kamariorah echoes the sentiment: “It kind of seems that American Dream is slipping away from our generation.”
A Battle for the Soul of America
The question shaping the 2024 election is the same one that looms over every significant aspect of American life in this fractious new decade: what kind of country will we be—and, by extension, how free (or unfree) a people shall we remain here in North America as an empire-free nation-state-self?
On the other side, there are voters who feel that America should be inclusive of those marginalized and on the outside so long. According to them, the land is being overrun by change and globalization. Joshua White, a 22-year-old college student at the University of Houston, sums it up: And, this country was built on working hard, having faith, and family values. It feels like all of the is slipping away.
For a large number of people like Joshua, the 2024 election is an opportunity for things to return to some sense of normalcy. Specifically, many of these voters have been galvanized by the populist wave that began in 2016 with Donald Trump's election. Trump is not running, but his shadow looms large over a field of Republican candidates broadly embracing the “America First” mantra Trump championed. They are worried about immigration, national security and traditional social values.
They on the other end voters who believe 2024 is a chance to push the United States further left. It's that America should join the ranks of countries where no matter what else we do, health security is non-negotiable. “ We can not go back,” mentioned Houston nurse Stella Session , 45. In the new order of the world, we need leaders that see things differently. That is what this election is about: creating opportunities for all Americans to succeed, not only the already rich.
The Economy: A Lingering Concern
The ongoing battle over the economy for many voters, nothing could be more paramount than a candidate who can credibly promise they'll promote policies that will keep economic vroom-vrooms happening in spite of any headwinds. Many Americans are still feeling the pinch with inflation rates far higher than pre-pandemic times and a way of life becoming increasingly unaffordable. An economy that 82% of voters say is a key factor in their vote -- the number one issue according to an April Gallup poll.
”I just want to be able to feed my kids and cover rent without wondering how the heck I will get by,“ said Angel Lewis of Hiram Clarke, TX, a 43-year-old single mom with two children. I have two jobs, and it still feels like I am one emergency away from financial catastrophe.
The story of Angel is a familiar one in today's America. Unemployment is at a record low, but wages have not kept up with the cost of living for many employees.
A Crossroads for Democracy
The most important question facing the nation in 2024 is whether its democracy is robust. Contests over voting rights, election security and misinformation have crystallized through the last few cycles.
Mark Nicolas, a 85-year-old retired truck driver from Houston Tx, and lifelong conservative who has voted Republican for the last five decades but left his ballot blank in November because of Trump. ”We all need to have the right of vote in this country and we needed those votes counted fairly. This is a country that does not build its kind of hatred.”
With the passage of controversial voting laws in states like Georgia and Texas, voter suppression is an issue that has risen to prominence for many Americans. Meanwhile, there have been serious debates about the integrity of the election; some candidates had made it clear that they will not believe otherwise after any previous outcome. The public's bottom-feeder confidence in the system dating back to 2000 I have returned to where it was then, with far too many voters worrying about what comes next on Election Day.
For many of us the 2024 election is not just a matter of electing one more president – it is about defending American democracy for quite possibly generations to come. “‘This election is bigger than any individual,” Mark also emphasizes. Because it’s what we value as a people. And democracy is something we need to work together in making sure prevails.”
The Final Countdown
In 2020, the race for president has captured Americans' imagination and weighed most heavily on their minds in a time of collective uncertainty. In the small country towns, to over-crowded cities, it will those hopes and fears of which aren't heard that felt/create this change in an election yet… any now ever. The stakes are huge, and the very future of this country is teetering in the balance.
They are just listening, while elementary school teacher Monica Greene of Houston says: "This is a pivotal time for all us. “Whatever happens, we have to get on with it. That is how we begin to heal our nation.”
