Kamala Harris (D) and Donald Trump (R)
As the 2024 U.S. presidential election approaches, the events of January 6, 2021, are still fresh in the minds of many citizens.
The attack on the Capitol hill building shocked U.S. citizens and the world at large.
It sparked debates around the world, putting doubt in the minds of many whether the nucleus of democracy is under serious threat.
President Donald Trump (R) supporters who were not happy with the outcome of the 2020 election result tried to prevent the U.S. Congress from counting the Electoral College votes to formalize the victory of Joe Biden (D) as president elect.
An investigation by the U.S. House of Representatives bipartisan committee said the attack on the Capitol was part of Trump’s plan to overturn the election.
Four years afterward, Americans will vote to elect a new president. The incumbent, President Biden dropped out of the race, paving way for Vice President Kamala Harris to run for election.
And this time around, Trump is once again on the ballot as the Republican presidential candidate challenging Harris in what will likely be a highly contested election.
U.S. presidential elections have been drawing the world’s attention since the 1890s, but the 2024 election seems quite different, as it is the first since 2021 attack on the Capitol.
In a session with the 2024 Word Press Institute fellows, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said he has two wishes for the 2024 presidential election: High turnout and low drama.
In terms of turnout, Simon said he is confident that Minnesota will maintain its position among the top states with highest voter turnout in previous elections.
“This is Minnesota, I feel pretty confident,” he said. “I hope we will be No. 1 again and, even if we are not, we will be among the top states.”
Generally, Minnesota has a history of high voter turnout during elections. In 2020, the state witnessed a record voter turnout of 79.96%, making it the state with highest voter turnout in the nation.
Voter turnout is expected to impact this coming election, as it did in the previous election. When voter turnout is low, many see it as a sign of voter apathy.
In the United States, some scholars have attributed voter apathy to the impact of polarization, which remains a big issue in the build up to the 2024 presidential election.
In their article The Impact of Voter Turnout on Polarization, Michael Beblo, Jason Brennan and Whitney Quesenbery of the Georgetown Institute for the Study of Markets and Ethics wrote that “Political extremism and polarization are at their highest levels in over a century, while civic participation plus trust and approval of Congress are at near all-time lows. People wonder if the country could once again veer into civil war or if we’re in a cold one.”
Simon echoed this when he said one of his wishes is to have high turnout for the 2024 presidential election.
“When I talk about low drama, I don’t mean low energy or low intensity or a boring election,” Simon said. “What I mean by low drama is we have to embrace rule of law. We have to accept the outcome of the election, even if it is not the outcome we would want. The courthouse door is wide open to every American – it will always be. But when the last court issues the last ruling, we are done. That has to be the rule.”
This is the wish of many Americans and people around the world who view the country as leader of democracy and civilization. And this is what all Americans should strive to uphold in order to make the world a better place for everyone.
