Something’s in the Air… It’s the Presidential Election
Reported By: Benny Schorie
Illustrated By: Addie Patterson
If you have felt something off in the air with the start of 2024, your self-preservational instincts are kicking in because it’s a presidential election year again. As George Fox University (GFU) students are (mostly) young voters and may feel additional anxiety about their first or second presidential election, here are some tips for surviving the year as responsible citizens.
First, we should figure out what makes contemporary, American politics so stressful. In 2020, the American Psychological Association conducted a poll that reported a 16% increase in election-related stress from 2016. Mayo Clinic psychiatrist, Dr. Robert Bright, describes this concept as “election stress disorder;” and although it’s not a scientific diagnosis, the anxiety experienced during an election year is very real.
This stress stems from the instability of the US political system for the past 40 years. Ronald Brownstein describes American politics in a 2022 piece for The Atlantic as “rigid and unstable.” As most Americans are cemented in their political affiliations, the result of an election depends on volatile swing states: Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and, sometimes, New Hampshire and North Carolina. The decisions of these voters in swing states have a huge impact on issues like abortion, gun laws, and immigration policy.
So as long as parties fight to dominate each other, instability will continue to reign. Each election produces the same chaotic struggle for a slight majority in Congress and control of the White House. With this understanding of the current system, how are we supposed to remain calm and civically engaged? The University of California, San Francisco Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences recommends increasing self-care, decreasing work hours, reading instead of watching the news, and designating a time and limit for your media consumption. Being intentional with self-care and coping strategies is the best way to stay calm.
But, when it’s time to dig into the news and become informed citizens, we need to be intentional about where our information comes from and how to interpret it. News is biased, and that is a good thing. Our bias comes from our cultural, philosophical, and moral identity. Resources like the AllSides “Media Bias Chart” can help you identify media bias and encourage you to explore other opinions and sources.
The news will probably reference polling data, a great but not bulletproof way to take the temperature of the political atmosphere. I encourage you to look directly at the poll data to see the actual purpose of the poll, what questions were asked, who sponsored the poll, and the credibility of the pollster. FiveThirtyEight is a database for presidential election-related polls and will show you all the latest statistics.
Another grueling but important task for educated voting is to research your candidates. Although their political platform does not always translate into official action, it’s an important starting point for getting to know the names on your ballot. Some states provide voting guides with summaries of candidate platforms, but candidate websites and televised debates will also suffice.
Finally, vote and keep hope that there is potential for change. Research the dates for your state’s primaries, registration deadlines, and make sure to get into that voting booth on the second Tuesday of November.