As Election Day and another massive shift of American political power looms, it’s critical that all voters dedicate themselves to researching and understanding the policies and values of the two major presidential candidates: Republican party nominee Donald Trump and Democratic party nominee Kamala Harris. 

Still, sifting through the heaps of media and news articles in search of the truth seems like it would take hours to accomplish. Pair the sheer amount of political information at our fingertips with a skeptical mindset towards the accuracy of modern-day media, and you’ve got an impossible task on your hands. 

So, how do we simplify the process? Fortunately, both Trump and Harris have laid out their core beliefs and aspirations for their potential presidencies on their websites – easily accessible for any voter looking for material straight from the source. 

Still, it’s a pretty excruciating task. Not to worry! We’ve saved you even that work and have laid out the candidates’ stances on some of the most important American issues below.

Economic reform

Harris

Under the headline “Build an Opportunity Economy and Lower Costs for Families,” Harris emphasizes that a “defining goal of her presidency” would be to build up the middle class. A document titled “A New Way Forward for the Middle Class” lays out her plan for economic reform in detailed steps, including but not limited to the following actions: 

• Expanding the Child Tax Credit – this would provide $6,000 of aid to low- and middle-income families during the first year of a newborn child’s life to help cover the costs of diapers, formula and other childcare expenses. 
• Expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) – this federal tax cut currently benefits low-income workers by lowering the amount they pay in taxes. Harris’ proposed expansion would include individuals and couples in lower-income homes (without children), cutting their taxes by up to $1,500. 

• Lower food and grocery costs – Harris hopes to encourage Congress to pass the first-ever ban on price gouging, an economic practice in which corporations “unfairly exploit customers during times of crisis” with high, market-adjusted prices. 

• Expand and make permanent tax credit enhancements for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans – tax credits, which are financial aids from the federal government, help low-income families reduce the cost of their healthcare premiums. 

Trump 

Under the headline “Rebuild the Greatest Economy in History,” Trump states that his presidency would lead to “lower taxes, bigger paychecks, and more jobs for American workers.” He emphasized the need to lower inflation in the country. Further details on how he hopes to accomplish this can be found in the 2024 Grand Old Party (GOP) document, including but not limited to the following steps:

• Lift restrictions on American energy production and terminate the Green New Deal – Trump hopes to “unleash American energy” by looking to all sources, including nuclear energy. 
• Stop illegal immigration and global warfare from driving up costs in American households – by securing the U.S. borders and removing illegal immigrants, Trump’s administration hopes to lower housing, education and healthcare costs for American citizens. By restoring “geopolitical stability,” he believes commodities and goods will drop in price.  

• Sustain former Trump tax cuts and eliminate taxes on tips – Trump seeks to make permanent the results of previous tax cuts during his time as president that “doubled the standard deduction, expanded the Child Tax Credit, and spurred economic growth.” Cutting taxes on tips means that restaurant workers and other employees receiving tips would take home more of the money they earn. 

• Prioritize American producers over foreign outsourcers – By “bring[ing] the supply chains home,” Trump seeks to protect and put American producers first. He also aims to renegotiate failed trade agreements that would benefit American consumers. 

Healthcare

Trump

In a section titled “Better Health Care Choices at Lower Costs,” Trump reflected on his accomplishments from his time in office and laid out his goals for healthcare if re-elected. His goals involve the following:

• Protect Medicare and the Department of Veterans Affairs – Trump is committed to ensuring that senior citizens and the veterans who served the U.S. receive “the quality and timely care they so richly deserve” without being burdened by “excessive costs.” 

• Increase competition in the healthcare market: Trump intends to defend American citizens from high prescription drug prices by ensuring that pharmaceutical companies “offer the same discounts to the United States as they do to other nations.” 

• Improve transparency of healthcare costs: Trump seeks to “end surprise medical billing” and “increase fairness” by promoting transparency and market competition among pharmaceutical companies. 

Harris 

In a chapter titled “Lower Health Care Costs,” Harris outlines her plan to continue “expanding health care coverage.” This plan includes the following actions: 

• Increase competition among pharmaceutical companies –  Harris intends to crack down on “pharmaceutical middlemen that increase prices by limiting competition” to promote price transparency and improve competition in the market. 

• Tackle the opioid crisis and help Americans access addiction treatment – Harris hopes to continue “disrupt[ing] the flow of illegal drugs” and fentanyl from entering the U.S., and seeks to “help those struggling with addiction” to receive the necessary treatment. 

• Erase medical debt from Americans’ credit reports – Harris believes that relieving medical debt for people will allow them to “start businesses, become homeowners” and contribute more to society. She seeks to erase medical debt from credit reports and increase Americans’ credit scores by an average of 20 points, “giving them the peace of mind they need to pursue their dreams.”

Public Safety

Harris 

In her section called “Make Our Communities Safer from Gun Violence and Crime,” Harris lays out her plans to “reduce violent crime throughout the country,” which includes some of the following steps: 

• Increase gun control – Harris will ban assault weapons, require universal background checks and support laws that “keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.” 

• Support law enforcement – by investing funds into local law enforcement, Harris aims to hire and train more police officers to better protect American citizens. 

• Bring back the bipartisan border security bill – Harris made an effort to push a border security bill that would have increased drug detection technology and the number of agents at the border. If elected, she would seek to bring back that bill and sign it into law. 

Trump

In a section titled “Return to Peace through Strength,” Trump outlines his commitment to “protecting America and ensuring a safe and prosperous future for all,” which involves taking the following actions:

• Secure the borders – Trump believes that public safety will be improved by “crack[ing] down hard on the cartels that traffic drugs and people” into the U.S. 

• Support law enforcement – Trump aims to allot funds to police departments to hire and retrain officers and protect them from lawsuits. He also hopes to “increase penalties for assaults on law enforcement” and bring down the full extent of the law on deserving criminals. 

• Address drug issues – Trump intends to “impose a total naval embargo on cartels” and rally the force of the Department of Defense to prosecute smugglers and traffickers. He will also support “overhauling standards on school discipline” to help reduce drugs in schools. 

Economic reform, healthcare and public safety are just three of many important topics related to the rapidly-approaching election. It’s crucial for each individual to conduct his or her own research before casting a vote. As the election draws nearer, carefully review each candidate’s policies and beliefs to make a choice that most closely reflects your values. Don’t take your right to vote for granted, and be sure to send in your ballot or make it to the polls on Nov. 5.