By The Editorial Board
With entry into university life comes plenty of new privileges for students, and the ability to vote is among them. For many Baylor undergraduates, the 2024 presidential election will be the first opportunity to put this power into play. However, what many students don’t realize is the buildup to the Nov. 5 Election Day has already started, and their chance to take action begins now.
On Aug. 23, the first Republican presidential primary debate was held in Milwaukee. Here, GOP members from all over the country were moderated by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum of Fox News in a heated debate.
Primary debates, held for both Democratic and Republican candidates, occur prior to primary elections to allow candidates to discuss topics of concern for the American people in front of a live camera. Last week, topics on the docket included climate change, abortion and foreign relations with Ukraine, China and Russia. The American public got to hear from candidates, ultimately gaining a sense of their character and where their priorities lie.
Among the candidates were Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. Absent from the group was former President Donald Trump, who, at the time, was preparing to be placed in front of a different kind of camera a few hundred miles away in Fulton County Jail in Georgia.
While Trump’s mugshot went viral, the internet was still reeling over the intense rivalry between Ramaswamy and several other members of the debate, Pence’s turnaround from being Trump’s right-hand man and Haley’s calm composure amid the craze of her competition (except for that one moment with Ramaswamy, of course).
According to Baylor political science professor Dr. Aric Gooch, for participants like Ramaswamy, the debate was crucial for making first impressions. Otherwise, voters might only give their votes to candidates whose names they recognize and whose positions they already understand.
“When you’re running for president, name recognition is huge,” Gooch said. “People need to actually know what your name is and be able to recognize you.”
And that’s exactly what he did. Ramaswamy eagerly introduced himself as an entrepreneur rather than a politician, referencing his last name and appearance in a familiar Obama-like manner.
Other politicians on the stage also put themselves in the spotlight. Christie pushed his adamant Constitution-driven agenda, while Pence and DeSantis vocalized their support for strict federal abortion bans. All these issues are ones that will directly affect the lives of eligible voters in the upcoming election. Unfortunately, these priority-packed primaries often fail to reach busy, bustling college students. In fact, some students fail to vote at all. Only 66% of university students voted in the 2020 presidential election.
Classes, jobs and social get-togethers are not the only aspects of college students’ lives that prevent them from tuning into these lively debates. Since 48% of 18- to 29-year-old Americans establish their political opinions based on information from social media, why would they look anywhere else?
While social media can certainly be a kickstart to a more in-depth study of political events and is a convenient source for obtaining quick news, many users take what they see at face value without clicking any further links or digging deeper.
Baylor political science professor Dr. Patrick Flavin recommended a deeper dive into more reliable sources to learn the truth about candidates.
“I would encourage students to go to candidates’ websites, and whatever their political leanings might be, to try as best they can to seek out news that is across the political spectrum,” Flavin said. “If nothing else, it might draw their attention to something they hadn’t thought of before.”
All in all, student voters should tune into these debates. Doing so allows them to judge candidates for themselves without relying on others’ opinions and statements, which may contain bias, exaggerations or inaccuracies. That way, voters can truly determine who they think is best suited to sit behind the desk in the Oval Office.
The next Republican presidential primary debate will be hosted by FOX Business at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in Simi Valley, Calif., on Sept. 27.
