STUDENT OPINIONS: What are the key issues in this campaign?

‘Health component is major issue’

By JALIAH ROBINSON

“The major issue surrounding this campaign is primarily the coronavirus,” history and African American studies double major Otiana Thompson said.

Thompson believes that “the pandemic has put more regulations on voting than before.”

She said that because of the pandemic, people are thinking more about their health and the risks of standing in line. “You can try to be 6 feet, but who knows?”

“People don’t wear masks, they are just senselessly spreading the virus,” Thompson said. “The health component is a major issue.”

She went on to discuss the “senseless” attacks on the voting process by the Republican Party, referring to “the rhetoric from the Trump administration that mail-in voting is rigged or flawed.”

“People are disillusioned by the political establishment and the political process," Thompson said.

“The people that they put up to make these changes are not doing what they are supposed to be doing.”

Lack of focus on key issues

By DANAJA GORE

The presidential candidates are not talking enough about the issues, said Journee Matthews, a graduating senior at North Carolina A&T.

“COVID, health care, climate change and the economy” are the key issues in the campaign, she said. And there is the matter of systematic racism.

“Both candidates are using their platforms to discredit their opponent instead of focusing on the issues,” Matthews said.

She wants President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden to provide more insight on how they would deal with key issues.

“We can’t make an informed decision on whom to vote for based on the information we’ve been given so far,” Matthews said.

Trump painting false picture

By TZION LAWRENCE

“This campaign is all over the place,” said Claflin biology major Aspen Evans.

“I’ve seen the faultiest ads, plus the debates were childish,” she said. “ Trump and Biden were arguing the entire time over the moderator.”

“CNN, Fox and other media outlets do not report from a neutral standard anymore because of those types of actions [political scandals].”

Evans said “the key issue in this campaign is that Trump is trying to paint a picture to the public that does not exist. He is downplaying COVID and numbers and still increasing in places.”

Climate change is key issue

By TAMEIR ROBINSON

Democrat Joe Biden will be better for the environment than President Donald Trump, Kala Jenkins said.

“I feel the key issues for this campaign are about climate change,” Jenkins said.

“The Trump campaign is not even sure if climate change is real,” Jenkins said. “He supports the oil industries and carbon emissions trying to produce a better economy, but that’s not just important.”

“Then you have Biden who promises to produce more eco-friendly instruments,” Jenkins said, citing solar energy, wind energy and hydroelectric power.

Coronavirus not only issue

By JALIAH ROBINSON

“Coronavirus is definitely a top issue, but it can't be the only thing we are looking at,” sophomore history major Arielle Wiggins said.

Wiggins listed police brutality, racial injustice, climate change and the economy as top priorities.

“I think there should be a tax over a certain amount,” Wiggins said. “I am not a fiscal conservative. There needs to be something to address the huge wealth disparity.”

Regarding the virus, Wiggins said “there are so many people who have died from it and we still don’t have a vaccine.”

Without an outline for how rising cases will be handled, Wiggins said the virus will remain at the top of the list in concerns.

‘If Earth is gone, we are gone’

By JALIAH ROBINSON

“A major issue for me is the environment and foreign policy,” Lauren Tolbert of Tennesse said.

Regarding foreign policy, Tolbert said, “Trump thinks about the U.S. and U.S. only.”

“Biden is going to have to do cleanup,” Tolbert said.

Tolbert stressed the importance of having plans for the environment. "If Earth is gone, we are gone.”

Tolbert said health care, the economy, foreign policy and post-COVID-19 plans are major issues as well.

“The two things that affect you during a pandemic are health care and the economy, and a lot of people are struggling with these things,” Tolbert said.

Tolbert said that at the end of the day, it’s not whether you are Republican or Democrat: “If you die, it doesn’t matter what you believe.”