Next Tuesday, November 8th, the United States as a whole will choose the next President of the United States. After months of campaign speeches, debates, and widespread news coverage, many people have already chosen a candidate, while others are still undecided. Both candidates are very polarizing figures, making some consider voting for Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, or Gary Johnson the Libertarian candidate. However, the majority of Americans are sticking with the traditional parties and will be casting their vote for either Republican candidate Donald Trump or Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. With the new FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails, the polls seem to have evened out, showing Trump and Clinton almost at a tie.
Still not sure how Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton stand on certain issues? Here is a breakdown of Donald Trump’s and Hillary Clinton’s stances.
Immigration
Hillary Clinton wants to allow all 11 million undocumented immigrants to remain in the United States and vows to do everything possible under the law if Congress refuses to act. Additionally, she claims she will work even harder than Obama has to aid illegal immigrants. Clinton wants to pave a clear path for citizenship for all illegal immigrants and believes that Muslims should not face additional immigration hurdles. On the other hand, Trump wants to deport all 11 million undocumented immigrants and famously vows to build a wall along the United States-Mexico Border. Furthermore, Trump believes that Muslim immigrants should have some sought of additional screening.
Gun Control
Donald Trump believes strongly in second amendment rights and believes that the people of the United States have a right to self-defense. On the other hand, Clinton wants to ban assault weapons and increase gun-control measure.
The War on Terror, Military Spending, and National Security Measures
Clinton wants to significantly cut military spending across the board, while Trump wants to significantly increase military spending in an effort to defeat ISIS. Both candidates agree that they would work with Russian President Vladimir Putin to combat ISIS and support greater surveillance domestically to identify Muslim extremists living in the United States. Trump states that he would even monitor the activities of possible radical Mosques.
Trade
Trade is one of the issues that both candidates seem to agree upon, at least on the basics. Clinton and Trump both support the idea of free trade and feel that NAFTA needs to be updated, whether it be across the board or just with certain countries. Trump proposes to increase tariffs on trade partners, while Clinton does not.
Abortion
Donald Trump is pro-life; however, he feels that abortion should be legal in the cases of rape, incest, and if the life of the mother is in danger. Yet, Clinton is pro-choice and believes that abortion is permissible in all cases. Both candidates believe that there should be some restrictions on late-term abortions.
Social Security
Clinton and Trump both support social security and do not propose any cuts on the program. Additionally, both candidates want to raise the retirement age.
Energy and the Environment
Donald Trump does not believe in climate change, supports offshore drilling and fracking, and feels that the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline should resume. On the other hand, Clinton believes in climate change, does not support offshore drilling and fracking, and feels that the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline should not be resumed. However, she supports fracking on existing sites so long as they are regulated, but does not support future drilling. Clinton also supports the United States’ involvement in the Paris climate accord, while Trump does not.
The Economy
Hillary Clinton wants to raise the minimum wage and increase taxes on the wealthiest Americans. Trump does not support an increased minimum wage. However, both candidates believe that the United States should tax corporate profits stashed overseas.
Health Care
Donald Trump vows to repeal Obamacare and does not support the individual mandate or the expansion of Medicaid, which was held unconstitutional in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius. Yet, some states have still chosen to expand Medicaid. However, the individual mandate was upheld under the Taxing and Spending Clause. On the other hand, Clinton supports Obamacare and supports both the individual mandate and the expansion of Medicaid.
Criminal Justice
Hillary Clinton believes it should be mandatory for all police officers to wear body cameras and that the mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders should be reformed. Clinton does not support the privatization of prisons and believes that ex-felons should be allowed to vote. On the other hand, Trump does not believe that it should be mandatory for police officers to wear body cameras. He supports the privatization of prisons and does not believe that ex-felons should be allowed to vote. Both candidates support the death penalty, although Clinton specifies that it should be for “heinous crimes” (Washington Post, 2016).
If you are still not sure who you support or just want to see how your opinions match up with the candidates, go to https://www.isidewith.com/ and take the quiz. The quiz consists of various questions regarding social, economic and domestic issues, as well as foreign policy and other important, controversial issues in the United States. Your answers are compared to various quotations by the candidates, as well as their overall opinions and then you are told which candidate your views agree the most with.
Although the majority of the focus of the country is on the presidential election, there are still congressional representatives, state representatives, local representatives, and judges up for election. Go to https://ballotpedia.org/Main_Page and type in your address or zip code. You will be shown all of the officials up for election in your district.
Not sure where to vote? If you live in New York, go to https://nyc.pollsitelocator.com/search and enter your address. If not, simply do a Google search of where to vote in your home state and you will be able to find that information.
Remember to go out and exercise your right to vote on Election Day!
