We are living in a time of constant information overloads: the news is on 24/7, social media constantly pumps out new comments and updates and articles online can be read at any moment.
Everything from the media to the people around us seem to always have too much information. And, often times, that information is biased. Bias is not inherently bad, but it can often make us feel like we do not have much objective information left.
With elections, this informations overload is causing political polarization. What can you believe when there are thousands of sources saying completely different things? Voting is made hard when you have no idea who you are voting for.
When voting is confusing and hard, it discourages people from actually using their vote. Alexandria Symonds from the New York Times saw that this was affecting young Americans and wrote an article, “Why Don’t Young People Vote?” She found that less than fifty percent of young Americans (18-29 years old) votes.
A huge portion of the population is not using their voice in democracy. This age range has a huge effect on the economy as people are entering entry-level jobs and moving up. This population covers the opinions of students. And, this age range represents the next generation.
Despite all of this, they are not voting. We are not voting.
Later in the article, Symonds reveals that one of the short-term solutions to this problem was providing information for the elections.
So, this is where this article comes in. There is no excuse to not voting when here is the basic information on the two most important state spots for election. Not too much information. Just the right amount.
The Her Campus audience is a diverse, young group of people who can affect the state with their vote. We cannot expect to see a world that we want without voting for the legislators that we want.
As a Penn State student who is from Pennsylvania, I have seen how important the upcoming election is to state legislation. I thought it would be interesting to write about the elections in Pennsylvania. So, who are the major candidates?
First, we will start with the senate.
Representing the Republican party, there is Mehmet Oz.
First,there is general, biographical information.
Mehmet Oz graduated from Harvard University and went to medical school at the University of Pennsylvania. He was a surgeon, hosted his own show and wrote health books.
He grew up in Delaware. After college and marriage, he moved to New Jersey and lived there for 30 years.
Now, for the Democrat’s pick, John Fetterman.
John Fetterman grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania. He went to college at Albright University for finance. Then, he went to the University of Connecticut for his MBA. And, finally, he went to Harvard for Public Policy.
Fetterman was the mayor of Braddock, PA from 2006 to 2019. And, he has been lieutenant governor since 2019.
Next, let’s get into their stances.
For Dr. Oz, he is pro-life, pro-gun and pro-border wall.
He believes to reduce inflation; we need to cut government spending. He believes in order to cut pharmaceutical and hospital prices, we need to build a larger private healthcare sector and create policies that stop price gouging. He wants the U.S. to have a stronger stance with China.
He wants to push financial literacy and keep wealthy university prices down. He believes that there has been election fraud and wishes to secure future elections.
For Fetterman, he is pro-choice and pro-renewable energy.
Fetterman’s campaign has an emphasis of not allowing big corporations to take advantage of Pennsylvanians. He will support legislation that stops price gouging of pharmaceuticals and energy corporations. He wants to stop corporations from dodging taxes. And, he wants to fix inflation.
Fetterman wishes to expand voting rights, background checks and red flag laws for guns and fair immigration practices. For eduction, Fetterman wants universal pre-K and childcare, more funding for schools, career and college enrichment programs and reduced tuition for universities. And, Fetterman wants to make sure China does not out innovate the U.S.
Now, let’s tackle some controversies.
Dr. Oz is known for his questionable business practices. He pushed diet and health practices that he knew did not work and actually harmed people. And, he violated many animal testing laws while doing research on dogs.
Fetterman, on the other hand, is known for his heart attack in May after ignoring his heart condition for months.
Both candidates have their pros and cons. Fetterman have been a Pennsylvanian his whole life, and he has government experience. Dr. Oz has been able to run a successful business. So, make sure to look into their lives and stances to decide who you want to represent Pennsylvania.
Next is governor.
First, there is Josh Shapiro.
From his campaign page, we learn how he was born on a naval base then grew up in Montgomery County. He moved back to Montgomery County after he attended the University of Rochester then Georgetown University for law.
He was a state representative for Montgomery County, chair of Montgomery County Commission, and Attorney General of PA.
Doug Mastriano is representing the Republicans.
Doug Mastriano grew up in Hightstown, New Jersey. He joined the army and eventually become a colonel. He became a state senator.
He attended Eastern University for a bachelor of arts, Joint Intelligence College for strategic intelligence, Air University for Airpower Theory and Military Operational Arts and Sciences, US Army War College for Strategic Studies and the University of Brunswick for a doctorate in history.
Next, their stances.
Shapiro wants to improve the welfare of Pennsylvania by fixing economy and justice system. He wishes to aid small businesses in Pennsylvania by redefining employee numbers and tax brackets. He supports Unions. And, he wishes to balance renewable energy and keeping jobs.
Shapiro wants to improve police training and recruitment. He wants to add mental health counselors to schools. And, he wants to improve the healthcare system by fixing the healthcare crisis with expanding telehealth, improving recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals and protecting reproductive rights.
Mastriano has some different takes than Shapiro. He wishes to lower corporate net, gas and property taxes along with getting rid of regulations and bypass the slow permitting process. He wishes to eliminate mail-in voting without an excuse and decrease drop boxes.
He wants to impose parental rights in schools. He wishes to increase police funding and prosecutors in high-crime areas in order to keep citizens safe. And, he wants to increase penalties for repeated offenders.
He will get rid of Tom Wolf’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, COVID restrictions, etc. Mastriano plans to defund Planned Parenthood while enacting a heartbeat bill.
Every candidate will have different stances. While I have my own opinions on each candidate, this article is to simply inform people on the specific policies that these candidates have.
Every person needs to vote with their best interest. You need to think about your morals, community values and goals for government to be able to vote.
At the end of the day, voting is a way we can all use our voices. Being a part of democracy is important, so please vote with an informed and passionate stance!