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First Time Voters -
What to Know
By Alicia Bustillos, Communications Officer
Voting is complicated. You want to vote for the right person who represents your values, while helping to change the country & move forward in a positive manner.
But if you’ve never voted before, or your parents have never voted, it can be an overwhelming experience. What is a Democrat? What’s a Republican? Wait there’s more than just those two options? Below is a brief history on each party and what they stand for.
So what is a Democrat?
The Democratic National Committee has several core beliefs that that define the Democratic Party.
Democrats believe that the American people are greater together than they are on their own—that this country succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules. The party is focused on building an economy that lifts up all Americans, not just those at the top. (www.democrats.org)
Ok… so what is a Republican?
The core beliefs of the Republican Party are centered on the idea that each person is responsible for their own place within society. The party believes that the government’s role is to enable the people to secure the benefits of society for themselves, their families, and for those who are unable to do so for themselves. Republicans believe in limiting the Government’s intervention in the work of the individual towards prosperity. The government should only intervene when society cannot function at the level of the individual. This also means that the party believes in keeping the government as close to the individual as possible, and should be focused mainly on the state and community level, not centered at a federal level. (www.republicanviews.org)
Well all of that sounds great so what's the differance?
Tax Policy - Both parties favor tax cuts, but each party takes a different view on where those tax cuts should be applied. Democrats believe there should only be cuts for middle and low income families, but believe they should be higher on corporations and wealthy individuals. Republicans believe there should be tax cuts for everyone, both corporations and people of all income levels.
Social Issues - Another differences between democrats and republicans lies in their views towards social issues. Republicans tend to be conservative on social issues. They tend to oppose gay marriage & promote marriage being between a man and a woman. They also oppose abortion and promote the right of gun ownership. Democrats tend to be more progressive in their views, favoring abortion and gay marriage, but are strongly for strict gun control laws that limit ownership.
Health Care - Democrats generally prefer a lot of government regulation and oversight of the health care system, including the passage of the Affordable Care Act, because it makes the health care system accessible to everyone. Republicans, who opposed the Affordable Care Act, believe too much government involvement in the industry will drive up costs and have a negative impact on the quality of care that consumers receive. (www.quora.com)
These are only a few differance between Democrats & Republicans. Click the link above for even more differances that are broken down in the simplest, least biased terms.
Well I don't like either of them so I'm just not going to vote.
NOOOOO!!! Don't do that! There is also the Libertarian Party!
Libertarians are social liberals, or in strongly opposing government enforced morality, they are, in effect, social liberals. They believe government should refrain from intruding on business liberty *and* personal liberty.
Libertarians are civil libertarians, supporting free speech and freedom from government sponsored religious observance. They advocate a strong separation of church and state, opposing religious symbols in public spaces, like courthouses and schools. They oppose intrusions on individual privacy, like attempts to restrict abortion or other reproductive services, though a few liberarians are pro-life, seeing the right to life as the ultimate condition of liberty. Libertarians oppose other government infringements on civil liberties, like body searches by police, and this extends to searches of homes or monitoring of personal electronics devices by law enforcement or military agencies.
Libertarians value liberty over vigilant law enforcement. They are skeptical of over-policing, whether this occurs at the level of police departments or military agencies. They are anti-gun control, regarding the right to bear arms as a central element of personal liberty and a central means of self-defense. By providing a means of self-defense, guns protect life, which Liberatarians regard as the ultimate form of liberty.
Click the link here to learn more about the Libertarian Party, from an unbiased view.
In the next few pages we will take a closer look at the candidates running for president.
Helen Johnson is a charter member from the Beta Delta chapter. She graduated in 2014 and then went on to attain her masters in education (M.Ed) at Portland State University. After graduation, she moved to the beautiful state of Texas where she connected with many sisters. She is currently in the process of moving to Florida to work at Everglades National Park. She loves to knit and hang out with her 16lb cat, George.