Sumiya Chowdhury
ENG 1101
Unit 2 Project
Reflective Annotated Bibliography Â
A presidential election happens every four years in which citizens elect a candidate based on their propositions. It is viewed as a significant responsibility since it operates who might lead our nation and how they plan on improving it. Although every election gets a build-up, the 2020 presidential primaries had the most prominent one. Many, such as I can say that the election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, was the most distressing day as Americans patiently waited to see who would get elected as our next president. This year’s political decision was viewed as highly notable since it used an alternate method for taking in votes. Naturally with the new arrangement of casting a ballot came numerous issues. One of the reasons this may be the most important election ever is because of how it will shape America for either the best or worst
Freking, K. (2020, November 07). Explainer: Why is the US election count taking so long? Retrieved December 16, 2020, from https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/commentanalysis/arid-40077623.html
Voting electronically is a common way most Americans cast their ballots, but since the pandemic occurred, many have chosen another method such as mail. Multiple American states had made it simpler for people to cast a ballot through mail to forestall long lines of people gathering during the Covid pandemic. Individuals such as trump believe that this system may not be too convenient and is a “whole big scam.” Of course, with many people following this new form of voting comes added issues. For instance, one of the serious issues confronted was the waiting length for the outcomes. Most presidential election results come out within the same day except for this year, which took a total of 5 days. A cause for this dilemma would be the increasing amount of mail ballots submitted and since votes received by mail often take longer to process, it struck a delay upon receiving results. The document “Explainer: Why is the US election count taking so long?”, written by Kevin Freking, explains the mistakes made by some states. It states “However, other states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin – all with Republican-led legislatures and all of them swing states – made a conscious decision to wait so there would be no counting of postal ballots prior to polling day.” “Michigan did eventually allow election officials to process some ballots one day earlier, but the counting of the ballots still had to wait until November 3.” This illustrates how the waited results were pushed back further into a delay due to un-planned timing. One way we can benefit from this mistake for next year’s polls is by setting a proper deadline for receiving ballots and counting them as well. States such as Florida and North Carolina permitted political race authorities to handle mail-in voting forms within the weeks leading up to election day. “In Florida, clerks can start counting ballots 22 days before an election. In North Carolina, beginning five weeks before the election, county boards insert approved ballots into a voting machine, allowing for a prompt tabulation on election day.” We can apply this process in upcoming ballots to avoid delays.
Hermes, Grant, and Dane Kelly. “Clinton Township Voting Error Caused by Macomb County Clerk, City Clerk Says.” WDIV, WDIV ClickOnDetroit, 12 Nov. 2020, www.clickondetroit.com/decision-2020/2020/11/12/clinton-township-voting-error-caused-by-macomb-county-clerk-city-clerk-says/.
One of the biggest dispute of the 2020 presidential election would be how the Trump campaign planned on suing Michigan Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson for permitting idle polling firms to be registered without groups of bipartisan spectators. This occurred due to 10 voters who cast ballots this year but died before the election, and in Michigan state law it conveys “If someone dies before 8 p.m. on Election Day, their vote does not count.” City Clerk Kim Meltzer was sent death certificates for those voters three days after the election and accuses the Macomb County clerk’s office, of not using email to notify and instead chosen postal service. Detroit had the slowest mail delivery in the country at the time that death occurred. According to the news “Clinton Township voting error”, it says, “What this is again is human error,” Benson said.” “Our clerks are human. They are well intended, highly ethical, committed to democracy leaders but also mistakes occur.” This reveals how accidental errors can happen along the way and should not be accused wrongly until told the full story.
Chadwick, L. (2020, November 03). US election: What are five big issues that Americans care about?Retrieved December 16, 2020, from https://www.euronews.com/2020/11/03/us-election-what-are-five-big-issues-that-americans-care-about
This year’s official political race is viewed as striking because of the huge issues it can impact. Crucial problems such as the coronavirus pandemic, economic slump, and racial injustice are some of the reasons why many individuals became passionate about voicing their opinions on whom to decide in favor of. Since the United States struggled with the COVID-19 pandemic, about 82% think the pandemic is a main issue comapred with 24% of Trump voters. As said in the article “What are five big issues that Americans care about?”, it says “Democratic candidate Joe Biden has made Trump’s handling of the pandemic the central tenet of his campaign argument, criticizing the president for hosting large rallies without people wearing masks and for downplaying the seriousness of the virus.” This displays how the actions that were taken regarding this pandemic can be included in a finalized vote. Because of the pandemic, unemployment increased, therefore making the economy another issue for American voters. According to the article, in August, it was found that the economy was a top issue for 76% of individuals. It was found more important to Republican voters than Democratic ones. Another concern that voters found was the racial injustice protests. Thousands of protestors went to go protest after the death of a black American, Geroge Floyd, at the hands of police which sparked a conversation about police brutality and racism in America. President Trump’s reactions to the protests were criticized by many, as he called the protestors “looters” and had failed to denounce white supremacy groups. It states in the article that “Trump not only has an inability to heal a country reeling from racial unrest, he has been an antagonist. This was illustrated by his response to the protests after Geroge Floyd’s killing, using the military inappropriately, stoking police violence, and downplaying the rise of white nationalism in the country.” This suggests that voters will be making a decision on someone who will condemn racial injustice and racism.
Hirsh, Michael. “The Most Important Election. Ever.”Foreign Policy, 25 Sept. 2020, foreignpolicy.com/2020/09/25/2020-election-donald-trump-joe-biden/.
This presidential election is considered important because many people want a better leader to provide more beneficial conditions. Some propose that Trump and the malign powers he has gathered up have done so much damage to the institutions of U.S. democracy and that his reelection in November could damage federal laws. The article”ELECTION 2020: The Most Important Election Ever” states, “Reelection would vindicate his view that as president he can, as Trump said, “do whatever I want.” It would all but destroy, in other words, the American conceit that the United States is a different kind of democracy than has existed in the past.” This means if trump gets reelected, norms and limitations of American democracy will vanish completely. Although Trump’s reelection seems terrifying, Biden promises less anger, more hope, and light to the future of America. It states in the article that ” a newly inaugurated President Biden, who is a deeply experienced internationalist committed to U.S. alliances, and his multicultural vice president, Kamala Harris, act swiftly to restore U.S. prestige by reversing Trump’s worst failures on COVID-19, political polarization, the economy, global stability, and climate change, as Biden has promised to do.” This provides hope for Americans that with Joe Bidden elected, the future of America can be better.
Conclusion
The 2020 presidential elections defiantly were one of the scariest moments Americans such as I had witnessed. Problems such as the long wait for results on who would win made us all very anxious. Problems like voting fraud were also worrisome since many people were panicked about their votes not counting. Issues such as the coronavirus pandemic, economic slump, and racial injustice show us why this election is so important. Researching this topic had expanded my thinking on all the factors it takes to vote for a new leader. Knowing the knowledge behind this subject is important since it relies on our future and ourselves. Having a leader who’s policies are not the brightest can damage our lives and others. This gives a reason why people, not only in politics, but everyone should be involved with researching about elections so we can better them in the future.
Recent Comments