Ever since I turned 18 and became eligible to vote in 2023, I have held one non-negotiable principle of voting: always be informed about everything and everyone you are voting on. The 2024 Presidential Election was the perfect proof of concept of this principle.
Over the summer of 2024, as I was transitioning from high school to college, I researched every one of the presidential candidates who would be on my ballot that November. I first looked at the front-runner and eventual winner, Donald Trump, the Republican nominee. In Trump, I saw an authoritarian who had no respect for free markets, no intention to reduce the federal deficit, and no intention to curtail government powers.
I next looked at Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee. Harris famously lacked a campaign platform up until only a month before the Presidential Election. Without sufficient transparency from a candidate running for public office, I felt that Harris could not be trusted as a candidate. After further research, I learned about her record of reversing her policy stances without the revelation of new data, demonstrating her volatility as an officeholder.
I then looked at Jill Stein, the Green nominee. In Stein’s platform, I saw a plan to use the government as a vehicle to implement policies that would supposedly “save the environment.” While preserving the natural world sounded appealing on its surface, I worried that such an emphasis was too narrow for a presidential candidate and that the enhancement of government power could be easily abused if left unchecked.
Finally, I looked at Chase Oliver, the Libertarian nominee. Oliver differed from Trump by vowing to reduce federal spending as President. He differed from Harris by remaining steadfast in his principles, switching to the Libertarian Party once he realized the Democratic Party was no longer representing his values. He differed from Stein by adopting a holistic platform, discussing numerous policy areas in great detail without fixating on a set one or two. With Oliver’s priority of fiscal responsibility, steadfastness in his principles, and coverage of diverse policy areas, I pledged my support to him and the Libertarian cause, and I have called myself a Libertarian ever since.