Election Day is still a couple of weeks away, but the 2020 elections are already underway now. More than 27 million votes have been cast so far, and turnout in five states has already exceeded 20% for all of 2016. Yet despite the unprecedented pace at which Americans are voting, many still feel that their vote does not matter. Frankly, I can relate. I've been a political strategist for over 15 years, covering all elements of presidential elections, many of which I discuss on my podcast, Your Presidential Playlist (opens in new tab).

But without a strong turnout, the balance of power in your state could literally be determined by pulling names out of a hat (looking at you, Virginia (opens in new tab).) Voters under 30 are not requesting and returning ballots as much as other major groups They are not as likely to do so. If you are feeling down about 2020 and don't know how your vote matters in this, I am here to tell you that it does. This election will lead to policies and decisions that will affect thousands and millions of people.

I'm still not convinced" Here are five key issues that will put you at serious risk if you don't vote.

We have all been personally affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and it is difficult to see an end in sight. President Trump continued to ignore the advice of the nation's top health experts, often without a mask, on his campaign trail, and as a result, he himself contracted COVID. Resumption is still not safe for most countries, and distrust over potential vaccines continues to grow.

Despite the Supreme Court upholding Medicaid in 2011, the Trump administration is attempting to repeal the law. Republicans are rushing to nominate Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who will rule on the case.

Joe Biden offers another avenue. Biden would build a national contact person tracking unit and pandemic inspection committee to ensure free and reliable testing, coordinate a global approach to developing and distributing safe vaccines (while Trump has said the U.S. will not participate in international efforts), and Trump's 2018 plans to reinstate a pandemic response team that was abolished. Biden also proposes a public option for health insurance, building on the available health insurance coverage expanded by the Affordable Care Act. Biden also urges Congress to pass more coronavirus stimulus packages to help those economically impacted by the pandemic. The latest package, which was passed by the House and would have provided millions of Americans with additional stimulus checks, new unemployment benefits, and assistance for small businesses, is currently stalled in the Senate.

It is no secret that women are disproportionately affected by the lack of universal parental leave in the U.S. (open in new tab) COVID-19 exacerbates these inequities. The recession associated with this pandemic has been dubbed the "she-session," with women accounting for 54% of the total net job losses since February. In addition, according to LeanIn.Org and McKinsey's "2020 Women in the Workplace" report, one in four women are considering downsizing or leaving their careers because of the pandemic. This means that the increase in the percentage of women in management positions since the survey began could all be erased in a year.

Remote schooling and lack of childcare have a significant impact on women leaving the workforce. And with only 60% of all child care programs expected to remain open for more than a year without public support, there is no immediate prospect of improvement. As Congresswoman Katie Porter explained in my podcast (opens in new tab), "The reality is that no part of the economy can be strong and stable without adequate childcare to keep children safe." The Biden administration would enact many aspects of Senator Elizabeth Warren's child care plan to ease the burden on working mothers. President Trump had proposed a plan to make childcare more affordable, but failed to follow through on that promise. Biden's plan would also champion equality for women in the workplace by reissuing Executive Order 13583, which promotes diversity and inclusion in the federal workforce, something Trump has ignored. In addition, Biden's Coronavirus Recovery Plan implements national standards for school safety guidelines and appropriates emergency funding for public schools.

Following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, President Trump and the Republican-led Senate are working to confirm Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett by Election Day. Barrett is known for her conservative and anti-choice stance on reproductive rights. She refused to answer questions at the hearing about how she would rule on the lawsuits regarding abortion and the Affordable Care Act, but said Roe v. Wade should not be considered a super precedent. If Barrett's nomination passes, a 6-3 Supreme Court, ranging from conservative to liberal, could hear the women's right to choose case and decide to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision. The Trump administration is also preventing health care providers from informing patients about safe and legal abortion options by implementing a gag order dismantling Title X in 2019. This also prevents 4 million patients from receiving affordable contraceptives, STD testing, cancer screenings, and other care at Planned Parenthood.

Biden has pledged to make Roe v. Wade the law and appoint judges who will "uphold the right to privacy upon which the whole concept of a woman's right to choose is based." He would repeal the Title X gag order and ensure that everyone has access to all health care options. Vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris, as his running mate, also supports a pro-choice plan. When running in the presidential primary, she proposed requiring preclearance for states with a history of enacting laws restricting abstention, in the same way that the Voting Rights Act protects against restrictive voting laws.

According to recent reports and experts, there are only seven years left until the climate crisis irreversibly alters the planet. President Trump has not only refused to acknowledge climate scientists, but has also removed information about climate change from official government websites. He has also rolled back more than 70 environmental regulations and seeks to repeal at least 20 more. Recently, Trump refused to call climate change an "existential crisis." [His climate action plan would invest $1.7 trillion to fight climate change, including investment grants for at-risk communities and funding for climate change research. Biden would rejoin the Paris Agreement, an international climate accord supported by more than 190 countries that Trump withdrew from in 2017. Biden's plan also promises that the U.S. will achieve a 100% clean energy economy and net-zero emissions by 2050 at the latest. But the Biden plan falls short of the Green New Deal by allowing mining to continue, which some environmental groups oppose because of the risk of contaminating local groundwater and releasing dangerous chemicals. Trump also supports mining.

President Trump has taken steps that could drastically reduce census population counts and dramatically alter political district redistricting over the next decade. 2020 U.S. election deadline. The census was extended through the end of October to ensure an accurate population count, but the Trump administration, with the support of the Supreme Court, is attempting to end the census early. President Trump also seeks to exclude undocumented immigrants from the census, which could lead to an undercount of the U.S. population. Census numbers determine federal funding for roads and assistance programs, congressional district lines, and the number of members of Congress, which could lead to underfunding and underrepresentation in some areas.

That is why voting in elections for state and local offices is especially important this year. State legislatures will use census information to draw new district lines. This post-election power structure in the state will have a lasting impact on who is likely to win future elections and which communities will be represented in government. For example, whether or not to allow covid-related rent freezes and whether or not to support adoption and surrogacy rights for LGBTQ families. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego sums this up nicely in my podcast (opens in new tab): "When you think about who you elect at the federal level, I hope you also think about those who have faced the challenges our community faces"

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Obviously, there are many problems with this election. That said, it's not all doom and gloom; as Montserrat Arredondo, executive director of One Arizona, said in a conversation on Your Presidential Playlist (opens in new tab), "Something has changed in everyone's life. The only thing that hasn't changed is the voting timeline". If you are registered to vote, there is still time to influence all of these issues. If your state allows it, vote early by mail or bring in your ballot and make sure your vote is counted on time. You can also go to the polls on November 3 and vote in person. By going to the polls, rather than not going to the polls, we can make our voices heard and see the progress we want to see at all levels of government.