Since I will be 18 in the next election, I am trying to be more involved in the 2020 presidential race now that I have a responsibility to vote. But as somebody who considers herself to be an Independent, I have a hard time finding candidates I like. 

However, since the former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg is officially running for president as a Democrat, I strongly believe that more Independents will be excited to vote. Bloomberg offers a middle ground that more people will agree with and can draw more voters to the polls if he won the candidacy. 

As a former Independent, Bloomberg offers some middle of the road policies, such as his opinions regarding healthcare. He believes that whoever doesn’t have access to healthcare will be able to get it, but people who want to keep their current plan can. In the past, he has also approved of new smoking bans, calorie counts on restaurant menus and size limits for sodas to try to make our country healthier. 

Not only does Bloomberg have a healthcare policy he wants to put in place, but it’s also his mission to enforce stricter gun laws. Although some far right Republicans may not agree with his stance regarding guns, most Americans will be happy that Bloomberg wants to take action, considering our country has seen an enormous increase in the number of mass shootings.  

With these opinions and policies that will appeal to many Independents, he has the opportunity to be supported by a large amount of voters, as the number of registered Independents has skyrocketed. 

According to Gallup, 42% of American voters identify as Independents, while only 30% identify as Democrats and 26% identify as Republicans. Because most presidential candidates for the 2020 elections seem to be too far to the left or right, the majority of voters who are stuck in the middle will have Bloomberg to root for. 

As of right now, it looks like the 2020 turnout could be very similar to the last presidential election. In 2016, there was a large number of people who didn’t like any candidate running for president, and both Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump got many votes from people who didn’t really support them. Bloomberg can be a middle ground that can allow our country to be less divided, giving more people a chance to vote for a candidate they actually support. 

Having a candidate who appeals to a wider range of voters can evidently bring more voters to the polls. The 2016 election had the lowest voter turnout in the past 20 years, and Trump ended up winning the election despite losing the popular vote. If there are more candidates that have many liberal and conservative viewpoints, more people would be  excited and likely to vote.

 As much as people tried to get more citizens registered to vote and show up at the polls, the voters ultimately need to be motivated to vote for a candidate they support. Having a candidate like Bloomberg who can appeal to more voters than those candidates who are far left or right can increase the number of people showing up to vote on Election Day. Although it may be hard for him to win the democratic candidacy, I would be very proud to have my first ever vote be for Michael Bloomberg.

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