This article is to provide information on the 2024 U.S. Presidential election. All views presented are not endorsed by The Township Times.

Candidates

Kamala Harris (Democrat) and Donald Trump (Republican) are the current Presidential candidates. Their Vice Presidential candidates are Tim Walz (D) and J.D. Vance (R).

(D) V.P. Kamala Harris—President

Kamala Harris is the current Vice President of the United States. She graduated from Howard University and the University of California Hastings College of Law. Harris served as District Attorney of Alameda County and the Attorney General of California. Before being elected Vice President, she served in the United States Senate representing California. This is her first time as a presidential nominee and her second on a presidential ticket.

https://kamalaharris.com/meet-kamala-harris/

(D) Gov. Tim Walz—Vice President

Tim Walz is the current governor of Minnesota. He served in the Army National Guard for 24 years while also teaching at Mankato West High School. Walz was also the coach of the state-winning football team at the school. After retiring from the National Guard, Walz served five terms in the House of Representatives before being elected to the Governor position in 2018. This is his first time on a presidential campaign ticket.

https://mn.gov/governor/about-gov/timwalz/

(R) Pres. Donald Trump—President

Donald Trump graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and worked for his father’s estate company, Trump Organization. He also starred in the reality television show, The Apprentice. With no prior political experience, Trump was elected president in 2016 but failed to win reelection in 2020. This is the third straight election Trump has served as the Republican nominee for president.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/donald-j-trump/

(R) Sen. J.D. Vance—Vice President

Vance served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Iraq War. He graduated from The Ohio State University and the law firm Sidley Austin LLP. Vance gained fame from his book, Hillbilly Elegy, a memoir about his upbringing in the middle class in Appalachia. He was elected to the Senate in 2022 to represent Ohio. This is his first time on a presidential campaign ticket.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/J-D-Vance

Issues

The issues selected were ones that both parties highlighted as policies important to them. All views represented are from the 2024 Republican National Platform and the 2024 Democratic National Platform. **Disclaimer: Just because a party supports a particular issue does not necessarily mean that the other is in opposition. These are simply beliefs that each party chose to emphasize on certain issues**

Economy

Democrat: They emphasize aiding the middle class to help the economy grow. Additionally, they want to focus on infrastructure and manufacturing as well. Democrats support work programs and labor unions. Additionally, their party platform stresses the importance of helping small businesses.

Republican: They emphasize curbing inflation and cutting government spending to do so. Reducing regulations in the workforce to help money circulate and low-cost energy is important to Republicans. They believe reducing international trade is critical to helping Americans.

Taxes

Democrat: They believe a fair tax code is necessary for the country to invest in domestic problems. The policies they provide about taxation emphasized cutting taxes for working-class families and preventing federal tax increases on families making less than $400,000 per year.

Republican: A focus of theirs is to permanently institute the Trump Tax Cuts and remove taxes on tips for restaurant and hospitality workers. They also want to maintain the Child Tax Credit, a current $2000 tax break for families with a child under 17.

Climate Change and Energy

Democrat: The party emphasizes providing clean energy for Americans. They support reducing carbon emissions through investments in renewable power sources and increasing jobs in clean energy production.

Republican: They support increasing production of oil and natural gas to boost the economy. A priority of theirs is to increase permits for the drilling of oil and coal while aiming to reduce American reliance on foreign energy.

Gun Violence Prevention

Democrat: They want to pass legislation to hire more police officers for community safety and provide funding for community violence. Additionally, they support Red Flag Laws that prevent “dangerous individuals” such as unstable or mentally ill people from acquiring firearms.

Republican: They focus on the police’s role in preventing violence and want to instate “common sense policing.” Republicans also want to fund police officers and keep police immune from criminal prosecution over actions committed on the job.

Immigration

Democrat: Democrats focus on fixing the existing immigration system and creating a safe and easy way for immigrants to become citizens. They aim to protect migrants by partnering with Latin American countries to facilitate migration.

Republican: They support limiting the number of immigrants and instituting harsher deportation and security measures. A goal of theirs is to move funding from law enforcement to border security patrols and ending sanctuary cities for immigrants.

Abortion

Democrat: They support the codification of Roe v. Wade into national law and providing access to contraceptives and IVF treatment.

Republican: They argue that individual states should decide on abortion access and oppose late-term abortions.

How to Register to Vote

In Pennsylvania, you can fill out an online application to register to vote found here. Additionally, you can register to vote by mail or in person by filling out a physical form by Oct. 21.