The 2024 election is unlike any other in American history, marked by unprecedented events that have caused divisions within our nation to deepen. It is essential for students, no matter their political affiliation, to remain vigilant in watching the news and keeping up with the candidates. Categorized by controversial events, the country is facing circumstances we have never seen before; in that light, the Wire has summed up highlights of the chaos of the past few months as a qualifier for how “unprecedented” times actually are this election cycle.
One aspect separating this election from past ones is the two assassination attempts on Former President Donald Trump. While our country has seen contentious elections before, there have never been multiple attempts on the life of one of the presidential candidates. There is a new level of polarization in the country that the United States has never seen before. The former president was injured on the ear at a rally in Butler, Pa., after shots were fired at him on July 13, and then on Sept. 15, a different gunman was caught by Secret Service agents staking out Trump’s golf course. Both shooting attempts signify the deep divides within our country. While the gunmen took their beliefs to an extreme, it is clear that many Americans have strong feelings about Trump, on one end of the spectrum or another. The attempts on his life signify the difference between American attitudes during this election and those prior.
On July 21, less than a week after the Republican National Convention and only 107 days before the presidential election, President Joe Biden announced through a letter published on X that he would be dropping out of the election. According to NBC News, Biden thanked Harris for being an excellent partner, then backed her as the Democratic candidate for president in a subsequent post. However, it was not until July 24, three days later, that Biden addressed the nation in a press conference to explain the reasoning behind his decision. While the information was picked up by news outlets, those who are inactive on social media or do not use it would be last to hear this announcement that could change the future of the country.
Not only is the means by which Biden announced he would be dropping out unprecedented, but Biden is also the first president in over 50 years to not seek reelection and the first to announce he is not running so close to the election, according to an Aug. 1 story from USA Today. While many people from the Democratic Party pushed him to exit the race, Biden stated numerous times that he believed he was the best candidate to take on Trump. This is why when he dropped out, the nation was stunned. It was simply uncustomary for the incumbent president to be so insistent about their ability to run, only to do a complete 180 and drop out less than five months before the election.
When it comes to campaigning, the appeal to Generation Z voters has been unusual. According to data from the United States Election Project, 18-29 year olds have consistently had the lowest voter turnout rate compared to all other age brackets. Because of this, it makes sense for the parties to try to appeal to younger voters and encourage them to vote for their respective candidate. While the idea of a “smear campaign” has been around for decades, we have never seen official political campaigns actively “meme” each other online in such an unserious and targeted manner. The social media teams on both sides have used trending songs and concepts to engage with their younger voters online. This strategy is logical based on voter turnout data, but we have never seen it done to this extent.
Since the last election in 2020, generative AI has progressed enormously, and it now poses a major threat to both candidates this election cycle. A Reuters article from Oct. 9 explains that Open AI software is being used to generate fake content aimed at influencing elections. While the spread of fake news and misinformation is not new, this is the first time that it has been so easy to manufacture data in such a realistic way. Americans need to be aware of AI’s capabilities in order to ensure they have only the facts about each candidate and their policies.
As November quickly approaches, voters are eager to see how these abnormal circumstances and campaigning strategies will impact the presidential election. No matter which candidate wins, the election of 2024 is one that will be remembered for centuries to come. The nation has never faced such deep political divides, and it will be up to the winner of this race to recover from the chaos of these past few months and reunite the American people.
