The 2024 Presidential Election will be held on Nov. 5. The two main presidential candidates are Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump.

While Harris currently appears to be leading polls by a small margin, both Trump and Harris are competing to maintain control over the major swing states: North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona.

Results in these states will have a heavy influence on the outcome of the election.

Trump and Harris have strong opposing opinions on a wide variety of policies including abortion, immigration, foreign policy, taxes and the economy.

Trump’s stances on these issues are found on his official website, while Harris’ stances are found on hers.

BYU-Idaho students in the Hyrum Manwaring Student Center shared some thoughts on their decisions for the upcoming election.

“I think that it's a civic duty we have as citizens of the US to vote for who we want to run our country for the next four years, which is a big chunk of time,” said Shayla Miner, a freshman studying dance. “There is a lot of tension, but there is leadership within both candidates.”

One student shared the questions he considered while he was deciding on whom to vote for.

“The things that helped me in my decision process was asking, ‘what do the candidates stand for?’” said Ryan Carter, a freshman studying supply chain management. “What kind of person are they? Do they have good morals and values? Are they going to work hard?”

Another student commented on the value of learning about the stance of each political party’s candidate.

“These past few years, I’ve been more open minded,” said Mason Sadler, a freshman studying software engineer. “I try to see both sides of it. That’s really hard to do with social media and the media in general these days. It can be really confusing. So I try to use the gift of discernment and see what aligns best with my beliefs.”

Another student shared the influence of her church membership in her decision.

“As a member of the Church, there’s stuff that you align with morally and in what we believe as members,” said Alex Rodrick, a student studying special education. “I think I was looking for who makes the most sense when it comes to what I believe in.”

Nov. 5 will be the last day for the community to cast their votes. Those who have not yet voted can find the process outlined in the article “4 Steps: How BYUI students can vote while at college.”

Students can monitor the election results over multiple platforms.

The Wall Street Journal provides right-leaning national news coverage with which BYUI provides its students a free subscription, while The New York Times provides left-leaning coverage with which BYUI also provides a free subscription.

Cover Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore