by Abby Walden

Human rights. Human lives. Our very democracy. These are all things that come to mind when we think about what is at stake in the upcoming presidential and congressional elections*. It is so much more than Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden and Democrats vs. Republicans, so here we’ll take a deeper look into some of the specific issues that make up the fine print of the 2020 ballot. 

Supreme Court

This first issue really reaches into bits of all of the ones that follow and is crucial to the future America. The Supreme and federal courts are our last line of defense against any law or decision that violates the Constitution, and the president is responsible for appointing both new Supreme Court justices and federal court positions as needed. Although this article largely focuses on the presidential election, it is important to note when talking about the Supreme Court, it is up to the Senate to approve all Supreme Court justices (by a simple majority), so it is your job to know who you are voting for in any congressional races as well. 

In his first term, Trump appointed two conservative justices, Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, compared to Obama’s total of two picks over his 8 years. In addition, Trump was responsible for filling over 200 federal court positions. Ruth Bader Ginsburg (rest in power) passed away on September 18th from pancreatic cancer, at the age of 87. She served on the court for 27 years, since her appointment by Bill Clinton in 1993. For many, she was a champion of equality and justice under the law and a trailblazing femenist. Many democrats hoped that she would survive until after the presidential inauguration in January 2021, in the hopes of protecting the court from a strong rightward swing. Soon after her death Mitch McConnell, the senate majority leader, promised to hold a vote to approve a new justice before the next president is in place, going back on the precedent he set in 2016, when his senate stopped Obama from appointing a new justice 300 days before the election. The new president is also likely to be asked to fill the seat of Stephen Breyer who is also in his 80s. A Trump second term and a continuation of this red Senate would threaten the Constitution and our very livelihoods as their appointees would decide what precedents and decisions will be handed down and with what values in mind, essentially shaping our country for years to come.

Abortion Access

Roe v. Wade was a monumental Supreme Court decision that decided that a pregnant person’s right to get an abortion without excessive government restriction was protected under the Constitution. In the past few years, in many conservative leaning states, these rights have been under attack with leaders trying to pass laws that would ban abortion, although many of these laws so far have been struck down in courts from combined lawsuit efforts by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Planned Parenthood. These laws disproportionately affect POC, young people, people with disabilities, people with low incomes, LGBTQ+ people and people in rural areas. If more conservative Supreme Court justices and federal court judges are appointed, the threat to abortion access will only grow. Another Trump term threatens our rights to control our bodies.

LGBTQ+ Rights

Trump continues to wage attacks against LGBTQ+ people. He has worked to roll back protections against discrimination towards LGBTQ+ people in schools, federal workplaces, homeless shelters and healthcare as well as banning transgender people from the military. He also opposes the Equality Act which would extend civil rights protections to cover sexual orientation and gender identity. It is crucial to elect a Congress and President who will not attempt to deny rights based on who people love and how they identify.

The Environment

Currently, climate change is one of our biggest threats and action must be taken to ensure a future for us and the generations to come. Since Trump took office, he has consistently taken action to harm the environment and roll back measures meant to combat climate change. These include pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord, and removing many restrictions on oil mining and gas pipelines as well as Obama-era regulations meant to reduce carbon-emissions from power plants. These actions and the lack of action to move toward sustainable energy and protect communities that will be harmed the most (black, brown and low income communities) continue to hurt the ecosystems and help threaten our entire species. Pandemics will become more common, sea levels will rise, natural disasters will occur more frequently, clean water will be harder to access, temperatures will be more extreme and plants and animals will die. We need leaders in the government who care about the environment and trust science. This situation is so dire that Scientific American endorsed Biden, it’s only endorsement in its 175 year history.

Healthcare

Obamacare helped to provide healthcare to millions of Americans, but Trump has continually stated that he wants to “repeal and replace” it. He has yet to put forward a new plan and ending the Affordable Care Act would end medical insurance for 20 million people and allow providers to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions. Healthcare is critical and should be a right. By providing more people with healthcare, preventative medicine can take place, stopping worse and costly medical issues from appearing in the future. Biden might not believe in Medicare for all but he won’t get rid of this program that benefits millions of people. 

Immigration

  In last month’s issue, we explored what ICE detention centers and immigration look like under a Trump presidency (check out those articles to learn more). A second term would allow this cruelty to continue at the Southern border and coming from around the world. In his first term, Trump enacted three bans on immigration, “Muslim ban”, the third of which is upheld to this day, blocking entry from the six majority Muslim countries. He claimed that he was” protecting the country” from foreign terrorists trying to enter, which is clearly an islamophobic statement. Biden has pledged to end this ban on his first day in office if elected. America has claimed to be a safe-haven, welcoming those seeking asylum, but we have seen this ideal shattered these past four years and should be fearful of what might continue to happen if Trump is given another term.

What about Joe Biden?

He may not be the candidate we hoped for and we may not all agree with some of his stances, but it has become clear that this is not just about him. This is not the year to claim your moral superiority and vote for a third party or abstain, because you believe that Biden is not progressive enough or don’t want to play into a broken two-party system. It is a privileged stance to be able to think that way and not fear for your rights as you effectively help Trump win. Anything except a vote for Biden is a vote for Trump and a statement that you are okay with losing abortion access, our rights to love, to healthcare, or to be safe in this country and to have a future with a clean environment. It is a vote to preserve our democracy. It’s not even just about these issues, but about the way we talk to people and look to other countries. It’s about not having a president who mocks disabled people and is openly racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, homophobic and insighting of hate towards every minority and group different from him. It is always up to the people to hold their leaders accountable, but Donald Trump does not listen to anyone. I have faith that Biden will; he has a record of being able to change his views and understanding why he was wrong before. Biden may not be exactly what some of us think that this country needs, but he is the best shot we’ve got. So whether you are enthusiastically supporting Biden, settling for him or just voting against Trump, Biden is the one we need to get behind. 

Evidently, this list is non-exhaustive but it hopes to cover some of the issues that the next president and congress will have the largest effect on. That being said, local elections may affect these issues as well as others in your community, so do your research before checking those boxes too. 

*not all congressional seats are up for election this year