The voting is done. The campaigns are over. And by the time this issue of the Concordian is released we may have a new president of the United States of America, but most likely we will still be waiting for the results of the election. That being said I wanted to try and ease some minds and relinquish some anxiety that we are feeling about this historic election.
I whole-heartedly mean it when I saw that no matter who wins this election I will wake up the next day proud to be an American. Of course, I am a Republican who would love to see another four years of President Trump, and the Democrats on this campus would love to see Joe Biden take the stage as president, but would the world really end if our opposing party’s candidate won? I personally do not think so. That is the beauty of the United States’ three branches of government. It does not allow for the president to control our ways of life, our laws or this country for the most part because our country relies on the branches of government and their separation of powers.
An example of this is the impeachment trial of President Trump last year when the House of Representatives approved the impeachment and it went on to the senate for voting. The impeachment needed a two-thirds vote to pass from the senate, which it did not receive. Throughout this whole process President Trump had no sort of authority or veto in this manner, so this clearly shows how the president does not have unlimited power, nor does the House of Representatives or the Senate. Another example of the separation of powers would be the Supreme Court case of Roe v. Wade. This landmark case challenged the laws on abortion in Texas. The case was put on trial in Texas and they sided in favor with Norma McCorvey, aka Jane Roe, which the state of Texas then appealed and the case made its way to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court’s duty is to interpret the constitution and protect the American citizens from unconstitutional laws and rulings, and in the case of Roe v. Wade they found the abortion laws unconstitiutional and sided with Roe in a 7-2 decision. This demonstrates how the legislative branch may have written these laws, but the judicial branch is still in charge of making sure they are constitutional and if not they can act upon them. This setup of government is what makes the United States of America the greatest country in the world because it really is the people who hold the power.
By this time I am sure I have some upset readers because I professed my love for the United States of America, which has somehow become a controversial stance. Do not worry though, this is where I would like to state that America is not perfect and improvements are needed. So although the world may not end if our desired candidate does not win, it is still our duty as responsible citizens to demand change that we desire. We can do this through marches, writing to our politicians and voting in midterm elections.
Midterm elections are crucial for voters as well but typically get much less attention since the presidency seems to hold more importance in people’s minds. The midterm elections fall in the middle of the current president’s term, so the next midterm election will be in November 2022. In these elections all 435 House seats are up for vote, since their terms are only for two years, and about one-third of the Senate is up for vote, since their terms are six years and staggered. Along with these votes are a majority of the state’s governor elections, including Minnesota. With everything that has happened due to COVID I think we have all realized that states can be run very differently based on the elected governor, so the midterms definitely should not be ignored. Sadly, the typical midterm elections have less than a 50% voter turnout. As mentioned earlier our government is set up to have the branches work together to run this nation, so the midterm election is equally important to get policies you care about enacted.
In the end, I hope our reactions to the election can be civil and respectful towards everyone. We do not need any more rioting, looting or destruction of our great nation. Biden runs on “Unite for a Better Future,” so even if Trump wins, I hope liberals will still unite with their fellow Americans. Trump runs on “Keep America Great” so if Biden wins I expect conservatives to be respectable and act in a manner that makes America great. In the end we are one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
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