How are these elections different from previous ones?

BISMARCK, N.D. (KYR) – Every election season brings its surprises, but what will make the 2024 election stand out?

The 2024 presidential election will be the nation’s 60th, and while electoral history is vast and complex, it is a divided election in many ways.

Many presidential campaign cycles have been controversial, going as far back as 1796 and the race between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

The Trump vs. Harris election stands out for another reason.

“The most interesting thing about this is the rhetoric. It’s not that it caused controversy. The real problem is the vitriol that comes with it,” said Minot State assistant professor of sociology and political science Dr. Jeanette Larchus.

Larchus said misleading and factually incorrect information spread on social media has an immediate impact and fuels the spread of offensive language in both the Trump and Harris campaigns.

Other exceptions in this election include President Biden dropping out so late in the election cycle. Lyndon B. Johnson and Harry Truman also withdrew while running for reelection, but both did so nearly eight months before Election Day.

Kamala Harris represents the first female minority presidential candidate, and details about a candidate with criminal convictions also stand out.

“Frankly, there is no barrier or reason why a person who has been convicted of a felony cannot run for any office,” Larchus said.

The only candidate other than Mr. Trump to run after a criminal conviction was labor activist Eugene Debs in 1920, who received nearly a million votes while campaigning from his prison cell.

Larchus pointed out another difference: new laws in states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin that don’t allow absentee or mail-in ballots to be counted or recorded until Election Day.

In North Dakota, counties can begin processing mail-in ballots the Friday before Election Day.