When you step up to cast your vote for president, you should be backing a candidate that represents your interests, the country’s interests, and similar moral values.
Maybe you disagree with one or two of the candidate’s views, but you respect what they stand for overall. If you come across a “deal breaker” with the candidate representing your party, you can freely explore other options and possibly pick a new candidate that you better relate to.
However, Americans currently have a different attitude towards voting. More people are faced with the question, “Is my vote for this candidate or against another one?”
Tensions rise as we get closer to Election Day, and as always, there is an intense race between the Democratic party represented by Joe Biden, and the Republican party represented by our Donald Trump.
Poll numbers are currently leaning toward Joe Biden, according to multiple news sources such as The New York Times, FOX News, CNN and CBS.
When looking into those supporters, Fadel Allassan with AXIOS, found that 58% of registered voters backing Biden were more against Trump than for Biden.
However, Trump’s campaign claims, “Nearly three-quarters of Trump’s supporters say their vote is more in support of the president than against Biden.”
Those numbers become increasingly important because motives like truly supporting your candidate versus not liking the other candidate can decrease voter turn out, according to an article by The American Psychological Association that talks about why we vote.
It seems the tables have turned since the 2016 election and are totally opposite of the 2008 election between Barack Obama and John McCain. FACTANK referenced a chart that displayed the voters who voted “for” their candidate or against the other.
In 2016, 58% of people who were voting for Trump did so against Hillary Clinton rather than “for” Trump. Clinton had 58% of her voters “for” her, winning her more votes, but in the end Trump won the presidency due to the Electoral College.
When McCain and Obama ran for president, neither of their numbers went over 35% for voters against the opponent rather than for the candidate himself.
Even those numbers are high, but it is how a democracy is supposed to work. The people vote for who they want, not vote to count against the other candidates.
The Trump campaign was unlike any other, with a slogan that caused a lot of controversy and actions that are still being questioned and investigated. Clinton, too, was investigated during her candidacy and the 2016 election.
Partially why we are seeing such different voting motives is due to a lack of trust in our representatives.
One thing is clear: these elections stir up emotions in people, but we need to look at facts, check our resources credibility and vote every chance, from local mayors to state representatives and presidential candidates.
Voting is our only way to get a say, so if you cannot choose whom to vote “for,” at least make an informed decision of whom you certainly don’t want in the White House.