WHEN IS THE ELECTION AND WHO ARE THE BIG CONTENDERS?
This year the 2020 US elections will occur on 3 November 2020. This will allow voters to select the next president for their country. Voters will be able to choose Donald Trump again or select a new candidate. If a new candidate is selected, Donald Trump’s term as president will come to an end on 20 January 2021. It appears that Donald Trump’s biggest competitor will be Joe Biden, the popular Democratic nominee. As you may be aware, in the US, there are two parties considered by most voters – the Democrats (liberal) and the Republications (the conservative). When it comes to the Republicans, Trump is currently facing little serious challenges.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER CONTENDERS?
There is speculation about another celebrity running for president this year. This will be highly controversial and would have a significant negative impact on the US if elected. There are questions to be asked about how and if running the country could be done successfully from a celebrity with no political or legal experience. Nevertheless, at this point in time, there is no solid evidence which shows that the celebrity will be running for president.
Another contender is Bernie Sanders. Bernie is known as being a “Democratic socialist” and came close to nomination in 2016. Key issues he has mentioned include Medicare for all universal healthcare coverage, raising taxes for the wealthy, and increasing the minimum wage. As mentioned, the other Democrat which has been popular is Joe Biden. Joe is a Veteran politician and well known as Barack’s Obama’s vice-president in 2009. Key issues that Joe has mentioned include rebuilding the middle class, investing in infrastructure, and tuition-free public universities.
HOW WILL THE WINNER BE DETERMINED?
While popular votes can be determined earlier than the 3 November 2020, this will have nothing to do with the actual winner of the 3 November 2020. This is because it is possible to win the popular vote, but the lose the electoral vote which is what happened to Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.
On the 3 November 2020, voters will go-in person to an official polling place. Following this, each state will handle its own vote counting and a winner should be determined that night.
WILL CORONAVIRUS IMPACT THE ELECTION?
The coronavirus has already impacted the voting in the US. Many states have been under pressure to increase the option of mail voting, especially in the states that require voters to provide a proper reason why they cannot vote in person.
The impact of coronavirus is also important for the Election Day whereby people will have to go in-person to an official polling place because there is no online voting available. Overall however, it is unlikely that there will be any delay in terms of the Election Day.
