Opinion: Donald Trump’s Election Bid Could Be a Public Safety Issue

Boulder, CO — In the last five years, Gen Z has come of voting age and they tend to be disillusioned with traditional political structures and parties, and are skeptical of mainstream politics. About eight million Gen Z are eligible to vote this year and of that number, 47% are BIPOC. YR Media’s “Control Z: #Vote2024” series examines the impact the young generation will have this election season and how more Gen Z candidates are looking to have a seat at the table.

This year is the first presidential election I’m old enough to participate in. As a young voter in Colorado, I’ve been considering what it’d mean to me if former president Donald Trump is allowed to remain on the Republican primary ballot in my state.

Recently, the Colorado Supreme Court declared Trump ineligible to appear on the state’s Republican primary ballot because of his role in inciting a riot during the Jan. 6 insurrection. Now, that doesn’t actually mean that Trump is officially out of the running in Colorado. In fact, Trump’s legal teams are already trying to keep him from being disqualified.

But other states are also made moves to ban Trump from the ballot. Even if the legality of disqualifying Trump is being called into question, I think it says a lot that several states even attempted to remove him from the ballot in the first place.

Now, with all the Colorado case pending, I can’t help but wonder: if Trump is allowed to run, what type of violence might follow? I feel like Trump’s presidency was plagued by violence. The Jan. 6 Capitol riot is one example of this. But it goes back even farther than his final days in office.

Soon after Trump was elected in 2016, there was already an uptick in hate crimes. Then, there are the series of legal proceedings that don't involve Trump himself, but people who were arrested for committing crimes following his exit from the White House. And I think it's worth noting that the U.S. Capitol Police have had to investigate around 7,500 cases of potential threats to the members of Congress in 2022.

As we plunge deeper into state primaries, election workers are also on my mind. This type of job — for the most part — always seemed safe to me. People of all ages from students to retirees tend to man the polls. But now, workers are leaving the profession, due to the violence that they face.

Election workers have been threatened as a result of the election conspiracy theories. Some poll workers even have to go as far as having to move in order to feel safe. Not only has this been dangerous to election workers, but I’d vouch it’s also harmful for the general public. I think that they're especially concerning due to the impact that it's having on the way people view elections — calling into question the integrity of election results. And to make matters worse, instead of condemning these conspiracy theories, Trump actually amplifies them.

It's important to think about what kind of precedent it will set if Trump is allowed to run for office. The memory of the 2020 election and the violence that followed still lingers for me as well as many other Americans.

Our leaders are supposed to set an example for us as young people. I believe that who we allow to represent us is a reflection of ourselves and the beliefs that we hold. When we cast our vote, the message we send is powerful — yet, it can also be dangerous. 

Emma Schulman (she/they), is a student journalist and filmmaker majoring in political science at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Edited by Amber Ly