Top 5 Political Issues Shaping the Future for College Students in Public Service
As a public service student, it’s important to learn about Democratic & Republican stances on the most important political issues in order to serve your communities well. Discover the top 5 concerns that will affect your career by reading on.
The political stance of a public service student carries significant weight as the choices you make during election season and beyond could impact not only your future, but also the communities you aspire to serve. Taking a look at the 2024 Democratic and Republican presidential candidates will lend a hand in your understanding of both parties’ ideologies. Knowing more about the two main political parties and their responses to political issues can help to solidify your own approaches to policy reform, benefitting your public service career and the people your work affects.
A career in politics, whether it be working in the government creating policies, for nonprofit organizations, or as an advocate for people in need, will include these major voting issues. From policies shaping student loan forgiveness to climate action plans to equitable healthcare access, each party offers a different view to these issues that will impact your eventual work as a public service worker.
This guide is designed to help you understand the potential issues that will arise in your field and how both the Democratic and Republican parties acknowledge them, helping you to hone in on what will be most important to you as a future leader in public service. We’ll break down the top 5 political issues, why they matter, how they impact your potential career paths, and what to look for in the parties’ priorities.
1. Education Funding and Policy
Education policy and funding is something that will directly impact you as a public service student – especially if you work in teaching or educational administration.
The future of public education, student loan reform, and K-12 and higher education access are at stake with the proposed policies. Your stance and the way you vote will change academia for the immediate future and beyond.
As a public service professional, you’ll want to consider candidates’ stances on funding for public schools, grants for underfunded districts, and student loan relief. Besides shaping your own career, they also impact the opportunities available to your community.}
Where the Parties Stand
Democrat: Kamala Harris advocates for expanding federal funding for public K-12 schools and has historically pushed to raise teacher salaries. She, along with Democratic ideology as a whole, supports student loan forgiveness policies and promises to take measures to reduce the burden of student loans and make college more accessible. She also pushes to remove unnecessary degree requirements in jobs to give people an alternate pathway to the middle class. Her views center in strengthening K-12 public schools as well as higher education, and making college more accessible.
Republican: Donald Trump supports policies that emphasize school choice, including vouchers and charter schools, as a means of reforming K-12 education. His past policies focused on reducing federal involvement in education, and he promises to shut down the Department of Education in his next term. Trump has also tried to limit loan forgiveness options, favoring private-sector involvement in student lending over federal solutions. His platform advocates for more choice in education and less federal involvement, coinciding with the general views of the Republican party.
2. Healthcare Access and Reform
Access to healthcare is a pivotal issue for students in public service, particularly people entering fields like nursing, social work, and psychology. Healthcare policies, including mental health resources and public health initiatives, impact your community potentially more than anything else.
Whether you plan on advocating for affordable healthcare, expanding mental health support, or addressing disparities in care, the policies set today will shape your ability to provide quality services and support vulnerable populations.
Both candidates take a very different approach to healthcare access, so let’s take a look.
Where the Parties Stand
Democrat: Access to healthcare and other basic needs are a major component of Harris’ campaign, along with the broader Democratic party. She promises to make affordable healthcare a right for all and strengthen the Affordable Care Act to expand access. She advocates for lowering prescription drug costs and increasing funding for mental health services, particularly for veterans and in schools. She also promises to work on lowering maternal mortality and maintaining access to Social Security and Medicare. Her platform campaigns for affordable healthcare and other everyday needs.
Republican: Dismantling the Affordable Care Act has historically been a priority for Trump, as he advocates a healthcare system with more privatization and competition. His stance supports expanded choice in healthcare plans, though he currently has no clear plan to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). However, protecting Medicare and Social Security is a consistent promise from his administration. Veterans’ care, including mental health care, is something he also supports and has funded.
3. Criminal Justice Reform
Criminal justice reform is a key issue for students pursuing careers in law enforcement, corrections, or criminal justice. Policies around police reform, restorative justice, and prison reform impact the way laws are enforced in communities, affecting both public safety and equity.
Proposals on community-based support services, rehabilitation, and addressing systemic issues in the criminal justice system are especially relevant for people who will be working on the front lines of reform and community safety. Let’s look at how these two candidates tackle this divisive issue.
Where the Parties Stand
Democrat: Harris has long been an advocate for criminal justice reform, emphasizing police accountability and sentencing reforms. She has historically opposed the death penalty and refused to enforce it, but later rolled back this stance and adopted a more ‘tough on crime’ approach, especially targeting violent offenders and giving leniency to less serious crimes. A major campaign goal of hers is to reduce the threat of gun violence – as well as all violent crime – and make communities safer. This also includes tackling the opioid epidemic, stopping illicit drug trafficking, and reducing overdose deaths in the country.
Republican: Trump and the greater Republican party has positioned themselves as strong supporters of law enforcement, with the candidate prioritizing “law and order” policies and strongly advocating for the death penalty. While he signed the First Step Act, which focused on prison reform and early release for certain non-violent offenders, his broader stance favors stricter policing and tough-on-crime approaches. Trump opposes significant reforms to police practices, often criticizing movements that call for defunding or restructuring police departments.
4. Social Equity and Civil Rights
For students in public service, civil rights are central to their duties. Issues like racial, gender, and socioeconomic equity — as well as policies aimed at reducing discrimination in housing, employment, and education — shape the environments in which you’ll work and the people you will serve.
Where the Parties Stand
Democrat: Protecting civil rights and freedoms is one of the top goals of the Harris campaign, and she is a strong proponent of civil rights legislation aimed at addressing inequalities. Harris and the Democratic party support expanding protections for LGBTQ+ people, strengthening voting rights, and combating racial and gender discrimination in employment, housing, and the criminal justice system. Harris has also pushed for policies to reduce economic disparities, increase funding to social programs, and “ensure the wealthiest Americans and the largest corporations pay their fair share.” Voting rights and protections, including vote-by-mail initiatives, also ensure that all Americans have the right to vote. Reproductive freedom is another key goal of her campaign and reflects Democratic values overall.
Republican: Trump’s civil rights policies have focused on limiting regulations and rolling back some Obama-era protections, particularly those protecting transgender youth. Though his policies are typically neither for or against most LGBTQ+ communities, revoking transgender protections particularly for students is a goal of his campaign. Trump’s view on reproductive freedom has been ambiguous at times. His administration prioritized religious freedoms, which critics argue undermined LGBTQ+ and other protections. Trump has emphasized law enforcement and immigration policies that some view as disproportionately affecting communities of color. He contends these policies are meant to promote national security and economic fairness, which are strongholds of Republican priorities.
5. Climate Change and Environmental Justice
Climate change and environmental justice are increasingly critical issues for public service students in fields such as public health, social work, environmental science, and emergency services. The policies enacted today will influence the environment in which future generations live and work, affecting everything from air quality to disaster response.
Students pursuing careers in these sectors will need to navigate the impact of climate-related challenges on vulnerable communities and advocate for sustainable solutions. Here’s how the two presidential candidates approach climate issues.
Where the Parties Stand
Democrat: Tackling the climate crisis is one of the cornerstone policies of Harris’ campaign and Democrats as a whole, with this candidate supporting aggressive action through legislation like the Green New Deal, the Paris Climate Agreement, and the Inflation Reduction Act. She advocates for reducing carbon emissions, expanding renewable energy, and prioritizing environmental justice for communities disproportionately affected by pollution and climate disasters. Harris also focuses on job creation through clean energy initiatives.
Republican: Trump has taken a more skeptical stance on climate change, withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord and rolling back many environmental regulations aimed at limiting carbon emissions. His focus has been on supporting the fossil fuel industry and deregulating environmental protections to boost economic growth and energy independence.
Honorable Mentions: Additional Issues to Address in Your Career
Beyond the top five, several other political issues will have a significant impact on the future of public service. Whether you’re studying policy, social work, or urban planning, these topics touch on critical areas of public welfare and service.
Issues ranging from housing affordability to data privacy to immigration reform shape how you’ll engage with your community in your future professional role. Take a look at other concerns that will shape the lives of the people your work will impact.
Affordable Housing & Homelessness
Affordable housing and homelessness are pressing concerns for public service students, especially people with potential careers in social work and community development. Housing policies affect the ability of vulnerable populations to access stable living conditions.
Harris and the Democratic party support increasing federal funding for affordable housing, ending the national housing supply crisis, and stopping home hoarding by certain firms. Trump’s stance along with the Republican party emphasize deregulating housing markets and reducing federal involvement focusing on expanding private-sector solutions and cutting regulations he views as burdensome for developers and increasing housing supply through the free market.
Data Privacy & Cybersecurity
Data privacy and cybersecurity are critical issues for students in fields like policy, emergency management, and law enforcement. Voting policies around data protection impact everything from safeguarding personal information to securing public institutions against cyberattacks.
Though not a major component of her Democratic campaign plan, Harris has supported efforts to bolster cybersecurity measures and protect consumer privacy. Meanwhile, Trump’s Republican campaign plan has pushed for hard-line cybersecurity strategies that secure critical infrastructure, but his policies are often not friendly to consumer privacy and avoid excessive regulation on private businesses.
Economy & Job Security
Job security and economic policies are crucial for public service students as they transition into the workforce. Economic policies affect funding for public programs, job creation in the public sector, and broader financial stability, directly influencing your career opportunities.
Harris supports growing the economy in ways that guarantee affordable access to basic needs like housing and healthcare. Democrats generally support increasing the minimum wage, expanding labor protections, and investing in green jobs. Economic concerns are also a big part of Trump’s campaign as a Republican candidate. His policies emphasize deregulation and reducing taxes for businesses to stimulate job growth.
Immigration Reform
Immigration reform is another pivotal issue, especially for students pursuing careers in social work and public policy. Future laws that determine how immigrants are treated within the U.S. will shape your future work with them.
As a Democrat, Harris supports comprehensive immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. She also supports locking down the border to prevent illicit activity. As a Republican, Trump’s immigration policies focus on strict border security, including building a wall along the Mexican border, limiting asylum claims, and increasing deportations. He also supports reducing the number of legal immigrants allowed into the country, favoring stricter vetting processes, and takes a hard-line stance on deporting illegal migrants.
Transportation & Infrastructure Improvements
Students in urban planning, public health, and emergency services should pay attention to transportation and infrastructure policies, which affect public mobility and safety. Efficient infrastructure is key to many public service jobs, so supporting a party and candidate that align with your interests is vital.
Harris supports major investments in infrastructure, much of it dedicated to transportation. Green, sustainable energy production like carbon-free power generation and adoption of electric trains is a big focus of her infrastructure plans and Democratic priorities altogether. Trump and the Republican party also campaign for big investments in infrastructure, primarily via public-private partnerships, traditional energy infrastructure, and fossil fuel production. He also promotes deregulation in the industry, with much less emphasis on green initiatives.