American politics are a show in themselves. Because hundreds of millions of US citizens get to elect one of the most powerful people on the planet every four years, the whole world is watching, and the nation is holding its breath while experiencing dozens of events and drawbacks, too.
The recent news concerning Donald Trump and Joe Biden are more than tumultuous. Indeed, we cannot avoid the fact that Trump was nearly assassinated on July 13th and that POTUS Joe Biden decided to give up the race for a second mandate. These events have provoked a dramatic shift in the shape of US elections. Meanwhile, election season will be going strong until November 5th, when the 47th President of the United States will enter the White House.
As of August 2024, the situation is more tense than ever, as Democrats’ new candidate is Kamala Harris. In the meantime, Trump seems to enjoy a surge of popularity, as the new storytelling presents him as a “martyr” to the cause for millions of Americans. What can we learn about these complicated yet exciting times?
Here’s a rundown of insights that election season can bring us.
Swing States are Very Important for the US Election
Accessing the White House can be seen as a sporting achievement in many ways. So much so that bookmakers offer us to bet on the next candidate, the potential winner, and so on. We can find the best odds on USA president elections on online platforms.
The US election system involves millions of Americans voting for their party. Their votes are then reflected in the eyes of major electors, who decide who will be in charge for the next four years.
During a campaign, a candidate must endure an absolute marathon of meetings, debates, speeches, and TV showings. One goal in this process is to win the Swing States, meaning the regions of America that can easily swing from Republicans to Democrats.
During the election of 2016, the most competitive states to win were Wisconsin, Minnesota, Arizona and ten others. Winning a swing state is tremendously good news for one candidate, and the list tends to change from year to year.
Personalities Have a Strong and Influential Voice During the Election
There are a lot of celebrities and entertainers hailing from the US. Because their music, movies and arts are widely distributed on a global scale, people in India or Germany have an idea of who Taylor Swift or Kim Kardashian is. In their home country, these celebrities can have a profound impact on an election, and their Public Relations team is trying very hard to align the ideals of a star, especially through the prism of social media and networking.
For Democrats, it’s more about equality, some dramatic changes in culture, and the treatment of minorities. For Republicans, it’s more about personal freedom, the right to bear arms, and the right to make a living in the Free World. These ideals aren’t necessarily polarized, and yet an average voter can find himself influenced by speeches or even the popularity of a personality.
Modern Technologies Can Influence the Vote Too
Looking back at the strange era that was 2020, the influence of mail voting has dramatically changed the course of 2020, for better or worse. While mail voting isn’t really recent news, this type of voting has had a profound impact on the election for many reasons.
Organizing a mail voting system depends on the policies of the state you are in. If they send it too late or faulty, it’s a local problem that can influence results. However, it seems that this type of voting has achieved tremendous success and that the vast majority have understood the basic concepts. Mail voting should therefore be a trend in 2024, as it tends to alleviate the working charge of voting offices all around the country.
The US isn’t Alone: A Case Study of Legislative Elections in France
It’s doubtful that any French citizen will forget about the 2024 legislative elections, a case study on how politics and opinion work hand in hand. This vote came right that President Macron decided to dissolve the French Parliament (Assemblée Nationale).
Before the 7th of July, pretty much everybody thought that Jordan Bardella, for the French far-right party Rassemblement National, would become prime minister, sometimes unseen in France yet. However, the second round of the election told otherwise, as his party failed to meet a majority despite a very honorable success. The surprise was immense, and maybe the relief, too.
Elections are a very complex process, and it’s truly not over until somebody has been named fully President in power. In the meantime, every elector has the right and obligation to inform himself about the general state of their country, following multiple and diverse sources. The main idea is to have the certainty that your vote is necessary, even in the sea of millions of other voters thinking different things and having different values.