U.S. elections will conclude Nov. 8, ending what some people deem the most controversial race to the presidency in the nation’s history.
Democrat Hillary Clinton, Republican Donald Trump and Libertarian Gary Johnson will appear on all 50 state ballots. Green Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein will be included on all ballots except Oklahoma, Nevada and South Dakota.
Clinton, a former senator, first lady and secretary of state, campaigns with running mate Tim Kaine, D-Va., a U.S. senator and former governor.
Trump, billionaire reality television star and real estate mogul, chose Gov. Mike Pence, R-Ind., as his vice presidential candidate.
Johnson, businessman and former governor, selected Gov. William Weld, L-Mass., as his running mate. And Stein, physician and member of the Lexington, Massachusetts government, chose Ajamu Baraka, human rights activist.
Clinton leads the race with 44.9 percent of the prospective votes, according to the RealClear Politics poll, updated Oct. 24. Trump takes second with 39.9 percent, and Johnson and Stein sit in third and fourth place, with 5.9 and 2.3 percent respectively.
The 2016 presidential nominees are among the most extreme, polarized candidates in U.S. history, according to an article in the Washington Post. Their extremism does not significantly hurt them in overall polls, though, according to the political science survey cited in the article. Instead, it grabs voters’ attention and attracts extremists.
Kate Huston, political science professor, said Trump questioning the validity of the election is the most worrisome aspect of the race.
“There is no evidence of a massive conspiracy to rig the election, as stated by both Republican and Democratic state officials, and alluding to widespread voter fraud undermines the very fabric of our democracy,” Huston said. “There is clearly a deep distrust of government in the United States. Some of this distrust is warranted, but, when we begin to doubt the democratic process and call our very core values into question, we are in deeper trouble than we thought.”
Dr. Richard Johnson, chairman of the history and political science departments, said this is an interesting election, not only because of the differences in experience between candidates, but also because of potential party realignment.
“A majority of Trump supporters are white voters with lower levels of education, a group that has traditionally voted for Democrats,” he said. “Clinton is ahead in the polls with college-educated white women, a typically Republican group.”
The voter turnout for millennials will be interesting, since many of the issues that directly affect them hardly have been addressed since Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., dropped out, Johnson said.
Voters said they have strong opinions about the election.
“I saw a picture on Instagram the other day that sums up my views,”said Jonathan May, acting junior. “The picture showed Clinton’s iconic blue background behind the word ‘DUH,’ and the H was replaced with her campaign logo, an H with a red arrow pointing to the right.”
The candidates this election have been more active on Twitter than in the past. Clinton had 9.9 million followers, and Trump had 12.7 million, as of Oct. 25.
“I saw someone stuff a ‘Support Trump’ postcard back into the return-to-sender box, which made me happy,” said Shannon McKenrick, entertainment business sophomore. “The election terrifies me, though. Thinking about it gives me anxiety.”
The presidential candidates have focused more on damaging each other through incendiary politics than focusing on the issues of real substance, said Dr. Mohamed Daadaoui, associate political science professor.
“These are historical elections in the amount of vitriol that we have witnessed and the electoral divisiveness,” he said. “I hope that the next president can move the country past the indelible damage these elections have done to the American brand of democracy. The American people are resilient and I have faith we will overcome the politics of hatred, xenophobia and chauvinism.”
The presidential candidates on the Oklahoma ballot agree on four main issues, according to ProCon.org. They support the legalization of fracking and medical marijuana, and they are against maintaining the embargo against Cuba and subsidizing oil companies.
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