Even with checks and balances, four years of executive power can change the country considerably. As a result, every presidential election, from FDR’s near-sweep of Republican Alf Randolph in 1936 to the Supreme Court’s ruling in 2000’s Bush v. Gore nail-biter, matters a great deal. This one is set to be historic as well. The country may elect the first woman president, who also has both Black and Indian heritage. Or, we might have a former president return to the White House for a non-consecutive second term, which has only been seen once before with Grover Cleveland.
However it shakes out, this crazy campaign is finally coming to an end. So, as we wait for November 5 and wonder what the future has in store for our country, our wallets and our kids’ futures, it’s worth reminding ourselves what Election Day is all about. In the interest of helping people perform their civic duty (and have some fun while doing it), we put together a collection of the most interesting and informative Election Day facts we could find. You can check them out below, followed by our Ask the Experts Q&A on everything from voter-turnout strategies to what each candidate’s presidency would mean for the economy. Happy (and safe) voting!
Election Day Facts
- 44% – Of voters have a favorable view of Harris (compared to 42% of voters who have positive opinion of Trump).
- $2.5M – Most lucrative speaking engagement by Trump.
- +$1.9T – Projected change in Real GDP during the first four years of a Harris presidency (+$1.3T for Trump).
- 14 States – Have new laws that could make it more difficult to vote this year (in addition to 36 states with voter ID requirements).
- 8 States – Allow any voter to join a permanent absentee/mail ballot list.
- 81% – Registered voters say the economy is very important to their vote in 2024, followed by health care (65%), Supreme Court appointments (63%) and foreign policy (62%).
- 35% – Of eligible voters on Election Day will belong to a racial or ethnic minority group, making 2024’s electorate the most diverse in U.S. history.
Ask the Experts
For a deeper look at the significance of Election Day, this year and throughout history, we posed the following questions to a group of experts in the fields of political science, public policy and economics. You can check out their bios and responses below.
- Should all states implement same day voter registration? What are the potential barriers to widespread adoption of this practice?
- How common is voter fraud in the United States?
- What is the most fair and equitable way to draw voting district boundaries? Should it be left to elected officials or a nonpartisan panel?
- Are mail-in ballots a good thing or a bad thing?
- How would a Harris presidency impact your wallet? How about a Trump presidency?
Ask the Experts
Ph.D. – Hoffman Family Chair in the American Ideal and Professor – Texas Christian University
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Ph.D. – Associate Professor of Political Science, College of Arts & Sciences – Chatham University
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Director, International Political Economy Program; Professor of Political Science – Carthage College
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Ph.D. – Professor of Political Science – Collin College, Wylie Campus
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The Burton Family Chair in Religion, Politics, and Culture, Director, Institute for Religion, Politics, and Culture, Associate Professor of Political Science, Affiliated Faculty Member, Program in Religion – Washington College, Chestertown, MD
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Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, College of Arts and Sciences – Ohio State University
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