As the election of 2020 barrels ahead, voters await the November 3rd poll day. In Illinois, early voting opens on September 24th, which has now already passed, meaning voting is officially open. Absentee ballots have been sent out and must be sent in by October 29th to be counted towards the general election. The deadline for registering to vote online is October 18th, but you can register to vote at the polling place on November 3rd when you choose to vote. Registering by mail closes on October 6th.

Voting in this election is dire especially for young people wanting to watch our country grow. It’s a giant crossroads in the United States, between re-electing Donald Trump or electing former Vice President Biden to be president of our nation for the next four years.

The fight powers on between the two parties, with Biden using a quote from Trump “If I lose to him I don’t know what I’m gonna do. I will never speak to you again, You’ll never see me again.” as the entire ad’s content. This struck a chord with liberals, independents, and even conservatives that want Donald Trump out of office. This move helped Biden stand out, but made a shot at Trump using his own words against him. The use of framing Trump’s words for Biden’s own campaign was a bold move.

CNN’s Poll of Polls still has Biden ahead, with a predicted 51% for Biden and 44% for Trump. But as the election rages on, a Supreme Court Justice is being chosen by Trump in wake of the tragic news of Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s passing. The majority of the Republican Senate is battling to put in a new SCOTUS into our judicial system before a new President enters. This would be the third Supreme Court Justice Trump has been granted to appoint, a mass amount of SCOTUS members for one President to choose.

Both Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham have gone completely backwards on their choice for a SCOTUS appointment. In March 2016, Barack Obama was blocked from appointing a Supreme Court Justice because the election was so close. Mitch McConnell has now decided that with a Republican president, September isn’t even too close. Lindsey Graham stated in March 2016 that his word could be held against him in 2020 if there was a Republican president, but now stands for the appointment choice from Donald Trump.

Voters must decide who they want to elect to help propel this country forward. It’s up to young people to turn out at polls and make a conscious decision.

Marguerite McHale is a junior economics and political science major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].