Ian Hinsley talks with American students and discusses watching the US Presidential Election from abroad
An Overview of the Election for Americans Abroad
The 2024 presidential election campaigns have been nothing if not turbulent. For the Republican Party, Donald Trump was the clear choice candidate. Trump has faced resistance by presidential-hopefuls who had previously been his supporters and the mounting legal cases against him, which resulted in his conviction of 34 felonies. Trump’s supporters have gathered around immigration, anti-establishment populism, and opposition to culture war issues.
On the Democratic side is Vice President Kamala Harris, who took up the candidacy after Joe Biden stepped down. Campaigning as a younger alternative to Biden, Harris has focused largely on protecting reproductive rights, climate policy, and the continuation of Biden’s economic recovery plans.
For many young Americans the 2024 presidential election can only be described in terms of extreme anxiety, fear, and uncertainty. Heading into what several American politicians deem “the most important election of our lifetimes”, the tension in the partisan politics of the United States has become palpable. These feelings are only compounded when those youths are outside of their home country.
In the 2016 election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, much of the nation went to sleep with Clinton leading, only to wake up the next morning to Trump as president-elect. For American students studying at UCD, they could wake up on Wednesday to the votes still being counted.
Some hold the belief that they might return to their country in a better place than when they left. “I still have faith” commented an American student, who says he voted for Harris in hopes of a return to civility, although others believe that the election may determine if they go back at all.
The possibility of a crackdown on access to abortion and LGBTQ+ expression has left many fearing they would be unsafe returning to the US. This is weighed against the Biden administration’s highly criticised policies around Israel and Gaza. Another American student expressed to me that they may have to shift their career path because it would likely require returning to the states. For this reason, moral responsibility and the ‘lesser of two evils’ was a common decider for chosen candidates.
Concerns and Attitudes Outside the States
The United States is in a unique position due to its prominence, central to many internationally important issues. The growing conflict in the Middle East, its dominance of global trade and NATO, as well as being at the centre of a culture war across the Western world.
Many non-American students express their own fears of what a Harris or Trump term would mean for their home countries. An Irish student called the election “scary” because the US has “such a huge impact” on the globe, as well as for their family members within the States.
Upon a short interview with several students from across the EU, a few sentiments cropped up again and again: restriction of reproductive rights, economic policies, and the rhetoric among the most prominent. For this reason, most students I spoke with shared that they have taken to supporting one of the candidates despite lacking the ability to engage with the American system.
Another attitude was quite common: morbid curiosity. The election’s twists, turns, and the fiery discourse have led some students to see the race not only as an important political battle, but also as entertainment. One woman, whose greatest concerns are over the effect of dehumanising rhetoric and populism, apologetically described the election as “a bit funny.”
Coming into Election Day
With the election starting, the polls are extremely close. Kamala Harris, who had around a 3% lead throughout October, has steadily dropped to a single point against Trump. The deciding factor will be the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Nevada.
Claims of voter fraud by the Trump campaign are likely, as he has previously stated that he will deny the election results if the election goes to Harris. Other rumours and falsifications will undoubtedly circulate from both sides of the aisle. The greatest fear is of another insurrection at the capitol, as well as civil unrest within the highly divided nation.