According to her website“Vice President Harris and Governor Walz believe many fundamental freedoms are at stake in this election. They will fight to ensure that Americans have the opportunity to participate in our democracy.”

With the Presidential election coming up, American citizens and first-time voters are ready to cast their vote. Vice President Kamala Harris is running for her first term in the White House, and here is what Harris serving as President could impact Eanes. 

Gun Laws

Harris is a strong advocate for stricter gun control measures to address the growing epidemic of gun violence in America. She has consistently stated her support for red flag laws, which allow law enforcement agencies to temporarily remove firearms from individuals deemed a threat to themselves or others.

Despite Harris wanting to strengthen gun control laws, she is an advocate for the right to bear arms.

“I’m in favor of the Second Amendment, and I am in favor of reasonable gun safety laws — for example, background checks,” Harris said in a teleconference from the White House.  

Harris wants to close gun purchasing “loopholes,” which allow people to purchase guns at gun shows and flea markets without passing background checks. 

“Every year, thousands of unlicensed gun dealers sell tens of thousands of guns without a single background check, including to buyers who, if they had been required to pass a background check, would have failed — for example, domestic abusers, violent felons, and even children,”  Harris said.  “This single gap in our federal background check system has caused unimaginable pain and suffering.”

Harris claims that a lack of background checks has “torn apart” communities in the U.S. and has led to acts of violence throughout the country. In response, and in her role as overseer of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, Harris required every firearm seller to conduct background checks when selling a gun.

She also plans to enhance the implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, an act originally passed in June 2022, that increases funding for states to implement crisis intervention programs.

With the growing number of nationwide school shootings, Harris has shared her concern and experiences with students regarding school shootings and drills. After traveling to colleges in 2023, she noticed that many students shared experiences about shooting threats and mandatory active shooter drills. 

 “[We should be able to] sit peacefully in a classroom and be safe from gun violence,” Harris said at a press conference in the White House, “but instead, our nation is being torn apart by the tragedy of it all and torn apart by the fear and trauma that results from gun violence. Our children should be in class learning, gathering information. Half of their mind is worried about whether or not someone will bust down their door to threaten their life.”

Harris plans to ban assault weapons and will require universal background checks before purchasing firearms. In March of this year, she launched the first National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center in Florida, which will provide training and assistance to law enforcement officials. 

“The launch of the National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center will provide our partners across the country with valuable resources to keep firearms out of the hands of individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The establishment of the Center is the latest example of the Justice Department’s work to use every tool provided by the landmark Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to protect communities from gun violence.”

Education

Harris’ plan to improve the education system focuses on equity and access. She has prioritized raising public school funding, reducing student loan debt and ensuring that families can afford high quality child care. Harris, who graduated from Howard University in Washington DC in 1986, supports significant investments in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and supports student loan forgiveness. 

“Every child deserves a high-quality education, regardless of their zip code,” Harris said in an interview with CNN.

Her proposals include increasing funding nationally for public schools, giving better access to early childhood education and raising teacher salaries. Harris also aims to address the student debt crisis by offering loan forgiveness programs for graduates who are working. Biden and Harris introduced a plan for student loan forgiveness up to $20,000. After the Supreme Court struck it down, Harris has led the charge to reinstate it. 

Social Issues

Vice President Harris has been an advocate for civil rights. She has pledged to continue fighting for equality and justice. According to The New York Times, she supports the Equality Act, which would provide comprehensive protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Harris plans to strengthen protections for individuals who are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community and ensure that their rights are upheld. Her administration would work to pass the Equality Act and protect transgender students and gender-affirming care. 

The Equality Act will expand the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The act, originally proposed in 2023, would prohibit discrimination based on gender affiliation or sexual orientation in regards to employment, health care, education and recreational facilities.

Furthermore, it would take steps to prevent religious discrimination and sacrilegious behavior (disrespectful towards something sacred or religion). For example, the travel ban that came from President Trump’s administration stopped travel from seven majority-Muslim countries for 90 days, along with suspending refugee resettlement for 120 days. Kamala Harris has been very hands off when it comes to religion in the Biden administration, but has advocated for the 2024 equality act to move forward. The act originally inspired by the British parliament in 2010 would further prevent religious discrimination being acted upon systematically.

Harris’s commitment to equality extends to addressing racial disparities in housing, healthcare, and employment. She worked alongside President Joe Biden on the American Rescue Plan, which provided $39 billion to help child care providers stay open and help early educators. Harris is planning to help states push it out it to over 200,000 child care providers, ⅗ of them being racial minorities. 

“We must confront systemic racism and ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed,” Harris said in an interview with ABC News.

Women’s Health

Harris is committed to protecting reproductive rights and ensuring access to abortion services federally. According to The Associated Press, she has supported abortion rights throughout her career and sponsored legislation to protect women’s reproductive rights. Harris opposed efforts to impose restrictive abortion laws at the state level and supported measures to ensure that all women have access to comprehensive reproductive health care, regardless of their economic status. 

Her administration would work to protect the rights originally established by Roe v. Wade decision from 1973. This Supreme Court case ruled that women have the right to choose whether or not to have an abortion. In 2022, Roe v. Wade was overturned by the current Supreme Court.

“I’ve been very clear, I think we should eliminate the filibuster for Roe, and get us to the point where 51 votes would be what we need to actually put back in law the protections for reproductive freedom and for the ability of every person and every woman to make decisions about their own body and not have their government tell them what to do,” Harris said in an interview with Kate Archer Kent.

Harris has not been scared to point fingers on the issue. 

“Donald Trump handpicked members of the United States Supreme Court to take away reproductive freedom – and now he brags about it. In his words, ‘I did it, and I’m proud to have done it.’ He even called for punishment for women who have an abortion,” Harris said.

“Women should have the autonomy to make decisions about their own bodies,” she said according to The White House. 

Harris’s stance on abortion is that reproductive rights are fundamental, and she is dedicated to protecting and expanding these rights.