By Stephen Ndegwa
WITH less than a week before U.S. Election Day on November 3, political analysts are still studying current and emerging issues that might tilt the results either way. It is no easy task, with the race between incumbent Donald Trump of the Republican Party and his Democratic Party candidate rival Joe Biden going the way of a too-close-to-call outcome.
According to the U.S. Elections Project, more than 69 million Americans had voted in the 2020 presidential election by October 27, that is almost 50 percent of the total ballots cast in the 2016 elections. The report also reveals that the key swing states of Texas and Florida have so far recorded a high voter turnout, which shows this is a make or break election.
In addition to the swing states that mostly determine the election results, there are groups of voters whose numbers may give the presidential candidates the final push, particularly in a hotly contested election. But these clusters are still grappling with the decision of the best candidate suited to effectively tackle the challenges that threaten the very core of the American nation.
Americans are voting on the major issues fielded in the two presidential debates that took place between Trump and Biden within the last couple of months, some of which were also present in the 2016 elections. These include the coronavirus pandemic and its adverse effects on the country’s economy and general wellbeing of the people, geopolitics and foreign policy, particularly in the conflict with China, race relations, the environment, healthcare and immigration.
The youth is one of the key groups whose voting direction is yet to be established. While traditionally young people have had a poor turnout in previous elections, a recent Harvard Youth Poll says 63 percent of Americans aged 18-29 indicated they will definitely be voting in the election.
It is one of the main reasons that former President Barack Obama launched a nationwide campaign for Biden. But then again, the youth is not a homogeneous group due to the social and economic structural discrepancies of the American society. For some, Trump has the Midas touch which embodies white privilege, a culture that they obviously would like to inherit and exploit.
Unfortunately, they also see Trump’s mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic as destroying the basis of this long cherished privilege. To another set of youth, Biden symbolizes a new beginning, albeit one that is uncertain in the current social and economic devastation.
The African American cohort is another group with no discernible or established voting pattern yet, although some influential voices have voiced their support for Trump. Among these influential black figures are top entertainers O’Shea Jackson and Curtis James Jackson III, popularly known as their pseudonyms Ice Cube and 50 Cent, respectively.
Cube took the limelight a few weeks ago after appearing to have struck an agreement with Trump on the latter’s support for his community through Cube’s blueprint Contract with Black America. Cube says he was left with no choice but to work with Trump after Biden’s campaign gave him a cold reception.
For 50 Cent, a post on his Twitter handle said he feared that Biden will raise taxes on the rich, stating that “Yeah, I don’t want to be 20 cent”. This sounds more like a personal gripe against Biden’s tax policy rather than a collective concern of the majority of economically disadvantaged African Americans whom he may purport to speak for.
Moreover, although these two artists have a huge fan base, it is not clear whether their numbers will translate into actual votes for Trump on the ballot box. In any case, Obama’s campaign has thrown a spanner in the works, scattering any unity that would have been coalescing around the two celebrities.
With all the polarization during Trump’s first term, it is all so confusing as the “undecideds” try to get closure on some glaring contradictions in the American society. But writing in the Atlantic, Conor Friedersdorf has offered some direction and solace by posing “5 Questions for Undecided Voters.” According to Friedersdorf’s list, it all boils down to character. The checklist includes determining the candidate who best reflects the behavior of the American people, the one likely to fuel socially destructive behavior, the candidate who can inspire Americans more, the one who can rein in people’s excesses, and the candidate likely to boost his subordinates’ performance.
– The Daily Mail-CGTN news exchange item
