Non-Partisan Advice For An Election Year

One year from today the next President of the United States will be sworn in for the next four years.  As a former political science major and a political junkie for the last forty years, I love presidential elections. However, there are very few people who are genuinely looking forward to this election.  The last two presidential elections in 2016 and 2020 will go down in history as two of the most unusual in history.

A little history lesson: The first inauguration of George Washington happened on April 30, 1789 and afterwards until 1933, inaugurations took place on March 4. (When the federal government began operations)  It is always on January 20th now, unless the date falls on a Sunday and then it is on January 21.

On November 5th, 2024 will be the next presidential election.  Most people would say that on that day, or days and weeks later, either President Biden will be re-elected or former President Trump will be elected again.  Below are some suggestions on how to get through the next ten months and few things to look for:

SUGGESTIONS:

1. If someone starts talking about the election or politics and you don't want to talk about it, tell them politely, "I'd rather discuss something or anything else."

2. If you're having a discussion with someone who you disagree with, let them talk.  You can learn a lot if you really listen to someone else's opinion.

3. Find something that you can agree on.

4. If someone asks you who you are going to vote for and you don't want to tell them, say, "I'll make my final choice on election day or in the voting booth."

5. When it gets down to the last couple months of the race, be very aware of the things you read.  Who wrote it? Is it an opinion or is it a fact?

6. Lastly, it's your vote-do what you want to.

THINGS TO LOOK FOR:

1. Expect the unexpected; this will not be a normal election.

2.  Almost every four years the number of people who vote goes up.  In 2020, due to the pandemic and new rules on voting, more people voted than ever before, 159.6 million people.  This was a 16% increase over four years earlier, also a record.  It's very likely that less people will vote this year than four years ago.

2. I've believed for more than a year that President Biden and President Trump will both not be on the final ballot. I don't know which one won't be on it, but it could be that both will not be there in the end.

3. Four years ago, third party candidates made no difference in the results.  There is a very good chance that they will make a difference this year in who wins the popular vote and in some of the close states.

4. The Democratic nominee will win California and New York by at least 5 million votes combined, as they have the past three elections. (5-7 million)