Election Day 2024 is Nov. 5, but there is still time to become an informed voter.
The 2024 Presidential Election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump headline the ballot, which also consists of state and local elections.
“Students should vote for every office in every election because regardless of level and regardless of office, elections have consequences with respect to public policies. Lives are directly impacted by election results,” said Dr. Gary Rose, Professor of Politics and Scholar in Residence.
A voter from Michigan inserting her absentee ballot in a drop box last election.
Paul Sancya, AP News
According to the New York Times, the national polling average has Harris up by a slight margin a of Monday, Oct. 21. Polls typically have a percentage of error margin, so Harris’s lead could be larger or smaller than reported.
“The latest poll results indicate that the election is much too close to call. We may not know the results on the night of the election,” said Rose.
Ballots have already been cast for the 2024 election, but there is still time to become a registered voter and request a mail-in ballot. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is Saturday, Oct. 26 in New York and Tuesday, Oct. 29 in both New Jersey and Massachusetts. In Connecticut, the deadline to request is Monday, Nov. 4.
“I am voting via an absentee ballot. I requested it a while ago through my home state of Massachusetts, and now I am eagerly awaiting its arrival so I can cast my vote,” said sophomore Molly McDonald.
As Election Day draws closer, there is an increase in political advertisements on television, radio and social media. The ads air during sporting events and primetime news broadcasting to optimize the number of viewers.
“Media is a huge factor, especially campaign ads. Ads on television and social media can in fact move the needle. But the ground game is equally important with respect to get-out-the-vote efforts,” said Rose.
During this election cycle, both the Trump and Harris campaigns have been supported by social media influencers such as Bryce Hall and Harry Sisson. Harris was on an episode of Alex Cooper’s podcast, “Call Her Daddy,” and Trump was interviewed by Dave Ramsey on “The Ramsey Show.”
“I think social media can be a good source, but not to trust everything you see on there. It is also good to do your own research,” said sophomore Matthew Meaney. “Read about the election on news sources, but do not just take one news resource; go through a few of them. Get your facts from a spectrum of sources.”
There are widespread resources available to learn about both the election and candidates. Campaign websites frequently contain candidate policies and other information. Each state has a website with information about its elections, deadlines, how to vote and in some cases, sample ballots.
“According to the old axion, ‘knowledge is power.’ The more knowledgeable one has when voting lends itself to more personal power and efficacy,” Rose said.
The deadline is drawing nearer for ballots to be submitted by all registered voters. There are a vast number of resources to be utilized to continue learning about the local, state and national elections that will affect the nation over the next two to four years.
“I do not think I am fully informed yet. I still have a lot of information to gather in terms of my state elections, but I want to be as knowledgeable as possible before filling out my ballot,” said McDonald.
