Last week, I received my absentee ballot in the mail. This is the first election year where I’ve been old enough to vote, making it my first time participating in a presidential election. And yet, it could be the most important election of my lifetime. Between filling in the bubble on my ballot, catching a glimpse of the news channel playing on the TV in the dining hall and checking the texts in my extended family group chat, this election has started to feel more and more real. And I have been growing increasingly afraid of what the result will be. With Election Day having come and gone, I wanted to share the reasons why I voted for Kamala Harris.
First and foremost, my primary motive for voting blue this year is to vote against Donald Trump. It had to be said, and I know many others that feel the same way. My issues with Trump are not because he is a Republican. In fact, many of his stances and policies extend far beyond those typical of the Republican party. To sum it up in one sentence: Trump is a convicted felon who has a history of sexism, racism and homophobia, and he is a threat to democracy. I worry that saying that makes me sound overly political or overly angry — a raging feminist or a liberal snowflake. However, the statement is entirely true.
Although I would not consider myself a particularly outspoken person (I usually air on the side of introversion and aim to keep the peace), this subject is one in which I cannot stay quiet to avoid the risk of offending people. To me, human rights and equality are much more important than any other political issue, and no tax policy can make me overlook Trump’s blatant disregard for equal rights.
Trump frequently disrespects minority groups such as women, people of color and the LGBTQ+ community. What I find to be one of the most alarming parts of his character is his history of sexual assault allegations and convictions. He has publicly bragged about how he can “grab [women] by the p*ssy,” and his treatment of women promotes a culture that normalizes sexual mistreatment and abuse. That does not reflect the character or values of someone who I would want in charge of the country — in fact, that is someone I wouldn’t even feel comfortable having lunch with. The other part of his character I find most concerning is his alignment and refusal to stand against white supremacist groups. He frequently and openly expresses his belief that immigrants and people of color are worth less than others and should not be a part of America, and demonstrates his beliefs through increased deportation, travel bans and racist statements that will continue if he is voted back into office. He prioritizes the interests of the upper-class, white, Christian, heterosexual man at the expense of minority groups.
Even if you overlook all of that, the fact remains that Trump threatens the very democracy this country was built on. The Jan. 6 riot is a prime example of that: He refused to accept defeat and is being charged with inciting violence against his own government in an attempt to remain in power. This year, he told his audience, “Get out and vote, just this time and then you won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what? It’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine, you won’t have to vote anymore.” Is that not a threat to take away the vote? Even his former chief of staff recently admitted that Trump meets the definition of a fascist (“a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist characterized by a dictatorial leader“) and has made admiring statements about Hitler and other dictators.
I think that although many people don’t want Trump to regain the presidency, they are not particularly passionate about voting against him or afraid of him winning because they don’t believe that his actions will affect them. After all, we made it out of his last term relatively unscathed. For that, I have three reminders: taxes, gun violence and climate change.
The argument I have heard the most often from Trump supporters is that he will be better for the economy. But that is not necessarily true. Trump is a businessman at heart, and his policies reflect the primary goal of making the rich richer and the poor poorer. Yes, his platform includes tax cuts for big corporations. But what about the rest of us? Trump has claimed that if he wins, he will increase tariffs on foreign goods to 10-20%, and 60% on Chinese imports. This is estimated to drive inflation to between 6 and 9.3% by 2026, whereas it would otherwise be 1.9%, amounting “to about a $3,900 tax increase for a middle-income family.”
Has anyone else in Boston been concerned that it’s 80 degrees in October? What about the increased length and intensity of this year’s hurricane season? Climate change is no longer deniable, yet Trump continues to deny it. During his presidency, he withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement and approved extensive oil drilling, while telling everyone that climate change is a myth. Our planet is dying, and having Trump in office will only speed up the process.
And you can’t forget about the insane number of mass shootings that happen in America daily. Vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance recently called school shootings “a fact of life,” reaffirming that the Trump administration will do absolutely nothing to reduce the number of shootings or promote gun regulation. Even though school shootings feel almost distant, as if it’s something that we will never personally experience, it’s a very real possibility. Gun regulation is a life-or-death issue that cannot continue to be ignored.
Something I believe is often overlooked is the non-policy impact that Trump has on the American population, primarily the hate he inspires. I felt it during his 2016-2020 presidency and I feel it now. Through the openness of Trump’s prejudiced remarks, he inspires hate against almost every minority group and allows people to be more open about their hatred than ever before. An FBI report showed that hate crimes increased by 20% during Trump’s presidency. People are becoming increasingly comfortable displaying their bigotry and prejudice, and I am afraid that one of those numbers could next represent my friend, my family member or even myself. This country should be moving forward, but Trump and his followers are making their best effort to drag it backward.
I have many more lengthy reasons for voting against Trump. But apart from that, I was not exactly dragging my feet when placing my vote for Harris. She is not a perfect candidate or person, but I personally agree with many of her proposed policies. She is highly intelligent, well-spoken and values equal rights. I believe she is capable of being a good president. Plus, being able to vote for a woman of color for president was admittedly an emotional experience for me. It was even more emotional to see my Indian grandmother live long enough to go to the polls and cast her vote for an Indian woman.
I am proud to have placed my first-ever vote with Harris, and can only hope that Election Day will yield the results that I want. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, of course, but in my eyes, a vote for Trump is a vote against my rights as a woman and my equal treatment as a brown person, a vote against the values that I stand for. It is also a vote against millions of Americans — their rights, their lives and their well-being. It is a vote against the survival of our planet. That, above all else, is why I voted for Kamala Harris.