According to Reuters’ polling tracker, President Biden’s approval ratings have been steadily dropping since the beginning of the Israel-Palestine conflict on October 7th, and this is reflected in the large number of social media users beginning to denounce him. In these posts, critics are citing his age of 81 years old (making him the oldest president in U.S. history), the Biden administration’s failure to block the Willow project, and inaction in the recent Israel-Palestine conflict. With the 2024 presidential election less than a year away, these numbers may be a detriment to Biden’s reelection campaign. Despite this polling data, Biden is going into the 2024 election largely unchallenged by his fellow Democrats.
It’s not unusual for a political party to put up few candidates if the incumbent president is eligible to run again. Since Biden can still serve a second term, the Democratic party is uniting behind him to strengthen their chances of winning the presidency. Millbrook’s AP Government teacher, Mr. Segal explains, “Incumbents have a big advantage because they are a known entity, so their political party will usually let them use that advantage in the next election.” There are two other Democratic candidates, Marianne Williamson and Dean Phillips, who are viable options for those who are discontent with President Biden.
For leftist voters who don’t care for Williamson or Phillips, their options will be extremely limited because, Segal explains, “Most Democrats would probably not vote for the Republican candidate, and there is not a third-party candidate who has a realistic chance of competing.” A third party candidate has never won a presidential election or gained enough electoral votes to come close, but they are crucial during elections. Mr. Jackson, one of Millbrook’s Civics teachers says, “In our system, third party candidates often play the role of ‘spoiler’ by taking popular votes away from one of the two major candidates.” If enough people who otherwise would have voted Democrat instead turn to third party candidates, they may jeopardize the Democratic candidate’s chances of winning.
This situation has left many voters feeling hopeless, especially those who will be voting for the first time. Senior Alena Dotzauer is registered to vote next year and not entirely sure what to do. She says, “I wish I could vote in a different election; there aren’t any easy choices this year. I don’t know what I’m gonna do yet, and I don’t know how I’m gonna decide.” Many other young voters are feeling the same way.
These feelings of hopelessness are the reason that many don’t show up to the ballot box in November, but Segal maintains that every vote, including yours, does matter. He says, “NC is a very closely contested state and your generation can and will influence who wins in many races… go out and vote!” For readers who plan on voting, good information can be very hard to come by. After years of debates, elections, and discourse, Jackson remarks, “The greatest issue I see in our system is pure ignorance… this comes largely from disinformation spread on social media.” So if you’re looking to research candidates, look for reliable newspaper articles from bipartisan sources. Question everything you see online and no matter who you vote for, vote intelligently!
