Students will have lots to consider before casting their vote on Nov. 5. While it is easy to rally around personalities like Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump, there are several issues that will affect people’s decision-making more than others.
Reproductive rights
In 2022, the Supreme Court handed down the Dobbs decision, which immediately dismantled nearly 50 years of protection for a woman’s right to make her own medical and reproductive decisions. Despite 63% of Americans supporting the right to choose, laws were implemented across the country, including Ohio, that banned abortions at the state level, criminalized medical procedures and threatened the health of millions of women.
This was made possible by Trump-appointed Supreme Court judges and Republican-held state legislatures. They disregarded the will of the American people due to systems like the electoral college and gerrymandering, giving them unfair advantages in elections.
Ohioans voted in 2023 to enshrine reproductive rights into the Ohio constitution with nearly 57% of the vote. Despite this overwhelming show of support for the right to choose in Ohio, women are still at risk, with legal challenges being heard in Republican controlled courts, like the Ohio Supreme Court.
I don’t trust a Republican Supreme Court to protect the interests of Ohioans, and especially not to protect women’s reproductive rights. It is important to vote this year in the only state that can flip its Supreme Court to Democratic judges that will keep the government out of your medical decision making.
Housing and economic uncertainty
Growing up, I heard a lot about the American dream and the nuclear family. I am meant to go to college, build a career, get married, buy a house and have children. During that same time, I watched the hope of attaining the American dream slip away. It is a common feeling among members of Gen Z; we are worried about our ability to survive in the current economic environment. I worry I may never own a home in my lifetime.
The last time the federal minimum wage was raised was in 2009 to $7.25 an hour with exceptions for tipped workers, who may be paid less. During that time, inflation has soared by 36.41%, average rent has increased by 67.63%, and the cost of purchasing a home has increased by 68.10%. The federal minimum wage hasn’t grown at all in those 15 years, and median household income has only increased by 13.26%.
People deserve a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. Across the country, people struggle to live off the generosity of strangers under the tipping loophole. We as a country need to raise the minimum wage to compensate for increases in the cost of living, build more housing, fight against predatory lending, prop up programs that allow people to get back on their feet when they fall and, most importantly, treat everyone with the respect and equity they deserve.
Student debt relief
The cost of attending a four year college, like Miami University, has exploded with an increase of 141.0% in the last 20 years. With inflation, cost of living and other economic issues on the minds of students, how is anybody supposed to keep up?
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At 18 years old, too young to drink a beer or rent a car, you are expected to take on tens of thousands of dollars of debt that you may not pay off until you are 40 years old – that is, if you get a good job that outstrips the increase in inflation, interest rates and costs of living.
We need solutions to make public universities more affordable. This constant raising of tuition, housing and junk fees need to be reduced through public funding of our education system. The U.S. Federal Government spent $6.29 trillion in 2024, and even 1% of those funds being spent on the education of the American people would make a significant difference.
In an attempt to address the symptoms of the problem and provide much needed relief to graduates, President Joe Biden attempted to forgive a set amount of federal student loans. The measure helped many graduates before being blocked by an activist conservative Supreme Court. It is important to provide support and relief where people need it, and this policy will directly impact every student, and the wellbeing of the American middle class.
Gun violence
“‘No way to prevent this,’ says only nation where this regularly happens.”
The originally satirical headline by The Onion hits home. Ohio has 24 of the 300 most recent school shootings, tied with Texas for first place. There shouldn’t be 300 school shootings for Ohio to compare to; there should be none.
Going through college worried your campus may be next is no way to live. The collective trauma of the drills and knowing friends who have gone through the unthinkable makes you wonder why nothing has changed.
Conservative politicians in Columbus and Washington D.C. have weakened regulations on machines that are built to kill, made them easier to acquire and blocked any reasonable reforms proposed.
As a former firearm safety instructor, it is endlessly important to introduce safety into the system. We need to push for universal background checks, an end to the gun show loophole, implement red flag laws, end permitless carry and keep our communities safe from irresponsible gun owners.
Community safety - Oxford Issue 2
The happiness and safety of my friends here at Miami are top of mind in my daily life. A measure is on the ballot in Oxford that would directly benefit the safety of every person on and off campus.
For a while, Oxford’s Fire and EMS services have been dealing with extensive financial issues. Those issues are borne of Miami not pitching in to help fund Oxford’s services even though it was found that 43% of all calls in Oxford are sent to Miami’s campus, with a hefty 53% of those calls being false alarms.
Issue 2 would generate approximately $1.3 million per year for Oxford Fire/EMS for 10 years, and Miami has agreed to match the contribution if the fire levy passes in November. With these funds, the budget can be set straight, Oxford can pay its employees and solve understaffing and overworking issues.
Importantly, it allows Oxford Fire/EMS to keep us safe. Vote yes on Issue 2.
Going to the ballot box
All of these problems burning in the minds of students can be solved at the ballot box. The voter registration deadline is quickly approaching, so make sure to register to vote by Oct. 7 on the Ohio Secretary of State’s Website. Make your voice heard, cast your vote on or before Nov. 5!
Patrick Houlihan is a senior political science student. He is president of the College Democrats of Ohio and the Miami University College Democrats.
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