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March 5th, 2024
Tuesday, March 5th, 2024, is known as “Super Tuesday” in the United States. Super Tuesday is a day that occurs every election year when the majority of U.S. states hold their presidential primaries and caucuses to decide which two presidential candidates will be voted for in November of 2024.
The voting results are used as a look into the most likely presidential candidates in November of 2024. The results have also helped determine where states vote politically and what the most likely outcome will be in November. Let’s delve into the importance of Super Tuesday and why its outcome is so crucial.
Joan E. Greve explained in an article for “The Guardian” that, “...16 states, including Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia host the Republican presidential primary. All those states except Alaska hold their Democratic primary contests on Tuesday, March 5th, as well” (Greve).
As the article states, Super Tuesday holds significant power in political voting. The states not only vote for presidential candidates, but the voters can also determine the political identification of their state. The majority of these states decide the presidential candidates in November 2024, months before the election has happened.
In some cases, it can even predict the future president who is voted for in November, 8 months later. This year, there are two clear options for the presidential nomination. Donald Trump has already won the Republican primary in every state that has held their primaries so far. Eight states including Idaho, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, and South Carolina have voted for Donald Trump over Nikki Haley.
Trump’s commanding lead makes his nomination an easy win for him to be the Republican presidential nominee. His opponent for the Republican nomination, Nikki Haley, has yet to win the primary for any state.
Former South Carolina governor, Nikki Haley began her presidential campaign as an alternative to either Donald Trump or Joe Biden. This was a refreshing idea as most American voters are tired of the two oldest presidential candidates in American history. Brian Osgood wrote an article for Aljezeera.com about Nikki Haley’s campaign. Osgood wrote, “... say she tried to appeal to moderates without splintering party voters whose loyalty to Trump has become an article of faith” (Osgood).
The article implies that Nikki Haley’s appeal was to moderate Republicans. This was her biggest strength going into Super Tuesday. She proved that people lost faith in Donald Trump and they wanted an alternative option to such a problematic politician.
The problem with Nikki Haley was obvious. Not enough people in the Republican party believed in her. Haley had one thing on her side, moderate Republicans looking for change. Kylie Atwood, Arit John, and Ebony Davis wrote an article on Nikki Haley’s campaign for CNN.
The article read, “I win moderates and independents which Trump doesn’t. That’s why in every poll you see he loses to Joe Biden, and I win,” Haley said during an interview with Fox News” (Atwood, John, and Davis). Sadly, her focus on moderates did not work as she officially ended her campaign on Wednesday, March 6th.
Voters have once again created a political election against the two oldest political nominees in American history. This is exactly what young adults are complaining about. The easy answer is that more people need to vote in order for their voices to be heard. State primaries are used to allow voters to determine who will represent their chosen political party in November.
Yet, young adults seem unlikely to be voting outside of general elections. It’s easy to see the problem and its solution will not be as nice. Young adults are simply disenchanted with politics in the United States and are sick of choosing the lesser of two evils. It goes against many historical facts about American politics.
The Pew Research Center published statistics on young adults and politics. The survey found that “A growing share of the public dislikes both political parties. Nearly three in ten express unfavorable views of both parties, the highest share in three decades of polling. And a similar share of adults (25%) do not feel well-represented by either party” (Pew Research Center). The statistics show how young adults are becoming more frustrated than ever.
There is no perfect choice in political candidates and compromise seems near impossible. It’s difficult to identify with a political party when you don’t fully identify and\or you don’t support any candidates. The lack of identification does not do well in the American voting process. In fact, it might be the thing that keeps young people from being able to vote.
One problem with young adults is a lack of identification with any party. Some states have what are called closed primaries. fairvote.com explains, “Only voters registered with a given party can vote in that party’s primary. States with closed primaries include party affiliation in voter registration.”(Fair Vote).
In short, the state records your political party affiliation and you can only vote in that party’s primary. The process alienates moderate voters who don’t perfectly identify with a single political party. Thankfully, not all states hold closed primaries.
Some states have what are called open primaries. fairvote.com explains, “... voters of any affiliation may vote in the primary of any party. They don’t vote in more than one party’s primary, ” (Fair Vote). In short, open primaries do not force you into a political party before voting in a primary.
There is more freedom to decide on the candidate instead of the party. The downside is that many states hold exceptions to this type of primary and it still forces the voter into options that are not ideal. Another concern is individuals voting in the opposite party’s primary to favor a nominee who is less likely to win over their desired party.
To sum up, primary voting is an important step in our political process in the U.S. We had a chance for a moderate, Republican nominee and it was taken away. It shows an important lesson for Millenials and Gen.Z. While young adults can’t always find their place, it is important for their voices to be heard.
The data shows that young adults are tired of the current political state and it’s time to work for its change. While we may not be happy to identify with either party, we have to let politicians in the U.S. know that elections have consequences. While we may not love our options, it is up to us to find out how to create a future that we can all agree is better.
This article was edited by Aadrita Halder
