CLEVELAND — Election Day is only hours away and while it seems there are no undecided voters left in the country, many Americans have yet to choose who to support in this highly controversial election.
Nearly 95 million people have already cast their vote via early in-person voting or absentee ballots, but some experts believe that the United States could see more than 70 million people vote on Tuesday.
A Pew research poll from August suggests that while Americans are concerned about a plethora of different issues, "more than 60 percent of those polled reported deep concern over the economy, healthcare, the Supreme Court, and the COVID-19 pandemic."
With all of the conflicting news out in the world, let's take a factual look at where both President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden stand on each of these issues.
The economy:
79 percent of people polled said that they are "very concerned" about the economy ahead of the 2020 election.
President Trump- as the incumbent- has not outlined any specific plans for the economy officially, either during his rallies and campaign events, or on his reelection website.
Biden on the other hand has released explicit plans on how he intends to put the economy back on track amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Democratic nominee does intend to raise taxes on Americans making $400,000 a year, but has repeatedly stated that this will tax increase will only affect the top five percent of Americans.
Mr. Trump has mentioned- on occasion- possible additional tax cuts for the middle class but has yet to go into detail on any proposed plans.
Health Care:
Since taking office in 2017, President Trump has been a fierce advocate for the lowering of prescription drug prices. The Republican incumbent has argued in favor of repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as "ObamaCare." It was a major platform for his 2016 presidential campaign and the president said that he plans to bring a better option to the table for the American people. Recently, President Trump told 60 Minutes' Leslie Stahl that a plan would be announced by his administration once the Supreme Court deals with ObamaCare. The Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments about the constitutionality of the ACA next week.
Biden would like to expand on the ACA while still offering a "public option" somewhat like medicare. Rather than a "medicare for all" approach, Biden says he is in favor of letting people keep their private insurance while also covering more Americans with health insurance.
The Supreme Court:
With the recent confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, President Trump has now successfully put three conservative-leaning judges on the highest bench in the nation.
This has been a major driving factor of the Biden campaign as well as millions of Democrats in the United States. Recently, the conversation of "packing the courts" has been brought up as an option to balance out the now 6-3 conservative Supreme Court. "Packing the court" refers to the process in which additional judges are added to the bench. Both Joe Biden and his running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, have evaded answering the question on whether they intend to pack the Supreme Court if they are to pull out a win.
The COVID-19 pandemic:
President Trump has been accused of "gross mismanagement" of the current Coronavirus pandemic as the United States has passed nine-million confirmed cases and more than 230,000 deaths. Since the virus hit American shores, Trump has downplayed the pandemic to "avoid panic," dismissed scientists including Dr. Anthony Fauci, and even caught the virus in October. The president, however, also focused much of his energy into fast-tracking a COVID-19 vaccine, which he says will be "ready shortly."
Controlling the pandemic has been one of the top issues for the Biden campaign. Biden says that if elected he would "listen to the scientists" and "shut down the virus, not the economy." The Democratic nominee says that President Trump has acted negligently in protecting Americans. Biden says that if he were to win the election, he would take the virus seriously and prioritize the health of everyday citizens.