Navigating the Presidential Ballot: How to Decide Who You Should Vote For

With the 2024 United States presidential election just around the corner, I have actively been seeking ways to become more well-informed. Admittedly, I’ve never been overly interested in politics, but I recognize that this is one of the most, if not the most, important elections of my lifetime thus far. It is important to get the facts straight before visiting the poll booths on Nov. 5, and that’s why I have gathered a few ways to help determine who you want to vote for in this election. 

Odds are, you’ve seen clips of viral Jubilee YouTube videos reposted on TikTok. The channel has posted quite a few election-focused videos, most outstandingly featuring two debate-style videos. 

One of these debate videos is entitled “Can 25 Liberal College Students Outsmart 1 Conservative?” Charlie Kirk, who is known for politically debating online, is the Conservative present in this video. Kirk is the founder and president of Turning Point USA, which is described on its website as the “largest and fastest-growing conservative youth activist organization in the country.” No matter what part of the political spectrum you fall on, the video opens up interesting and important dialogues about current issues in the U.S. 

The other, similar, video posted by Jubilee is called “Can 1 Woke Teen Survive 20 Trump Supporters?” and is embedded below. The “woke teen” is named Dean and is another internet personality known for debating his political beliefs. Both videos mentioned exceed an hour in length but offer fresh perspectives from different personality types and walks of life. While the discussions in these videos do not explicitly provide facts about the upcoming election, they may stir your thoughts regarding certain concepts related to it.

There are two more presidential debates coming up on Oct. 1 and Oct. 9. While these may be long-winded and intense to watch, they allow viewers to learn about candidates’ character and proposed policies. If you are still feeling confused, uneducated, or simply torn between candidates, be sure to tune into these debates to help solidify your feelings.  

Though slightly less engaging than anything in video format, a simple Google search will bring you to countless websites that explain what each candidate stands for. Even reading up on each candidate’s campaign site will give you more insight into their values and proposals. 

The New York Times reported that 41 million members of Gen Z become eligible to vote for the first time in this election. If you’re anything like me, I was not entirely sure how the voting process worked up until recently. This is the first year I have been of age to vote, so I had to do some research about how it works. Visit https://www.vote.org/ to learn more about registering, and voting before time runs out. 

• election
• harris
• politics
• trump
• U.S. President