Election day is fast approaching. With such different candidates and a seemingly never-ending opposition between the two political parties, the pressure and importance to vote are stronger than ever. All of these overwhelming events might lead independents and new voters to ask themselves who they should vote for and why?

Voting is very critical because as a democracy, our government relies on the people to choose and vote for representatives who help run our country. Filling up your voting ballot is the easy part, the hard part is deciding who to vote for. We’ll only go over the two more popular candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Donald Trump is the Republican nominee and Joe Biden is the Democratic nominee for this election. With two very different candidates, it is important to know what they are planning to instate if elected and how they will handle COVID-19 and the economy.

With Trump running for reelection and with so many cases of the virus coming in every day, many are wondering what changes he will make if reelected. Trump has not released a full plan of how he will handle COVID-19 if he wins. Trump has said that a vaccine will be coming very soon and will be made widely available. 

Biden has a more detailed plan on how he will handle COVID-19, according to Biden’s website he has a seven-point plan he will use if instated into office. His first step will be to fix the testing and tracing problem. This means he will double the number of drive-through testing sites and invest in new testing such as home tests, instant tests to increase production and distribution. His following 7 steps include the increased production of the personal protective equipment, more clear national guidelines on when to open and close schools and small business and what steps to take to make these facilities safe, restrictions on social gatherings, effective and equal distribution of the vaccine, protecting high-risk Americans, reinstate defenses to predict and prevent other pandemic threats and a mandatory mask order nationwide. 

COVID-19 damaged our economy affecting the lives of millions of Americans. What plans are there to help our economy recover from this massive hit? Both candidates plan to open infrastructure bills worth more than 1 trillion dollars. Trump plans to release another coronavirus relief package. He also wants to extend the 2017 tax overhaul and the Tax Cuts and Job Act which he claims will boost investments in economically distressed communities. Besides that, Trump has not officially laid out an economic plan on his campaign website. However, Biden has an economic recovery plan for working families on his campaign website. Biden plans to provide relief aid to working families, small businesses, and communities. He will provide aid to state and local governments so no essential workers are laid off. He also plans to extend the COVID-19 crisis insurance for unemployed people. Biden also says that he gives unemployed people jobs by enlisting them to fight the pandemic. In this plan, Biden wants to prioritize the working class. 

Who will you vote for? Vote for who you believe in. Both candidates are working to fight COVID-19 and help our country’s economy recover. It is up to you to decide whose plan is best for you. Our government is a democracy and an important part of our democracy is allowing the people to decide who will help run our country. If you are of voting age, I strongly urge you to vote; with such tension between our two political policies and all the recent events that have gone on in our country, this election is especially important.