TIFTON — On Nov. 5, Americans will cast their votes to determine whether President Joe Biden can retain his position or if Donald Trump will retake the title.

This will mark the second time these candidates have faced off, having done so previously in the 2020 election, and the result of this upcoming election will mark a return to office for either man.

The two politicians have been embroiled in controversies and criticized for their decisions and actions, both during their respective presidential tenures and along the road to this year’s election, but they retain support from their political parties and constituents for their policies and campaigns.

As the election draws closer, the Tifton Gazette sought the opinions and perspectives of women in the community on where they stood in regards to the current race.

Opinions on who should occupy the presidential position remain scattered across the board. Anne Jones felt a change from Biden was necessary, expressing frustration with his time in office.

“Joe Biden is not physically nor mentally able to carry out even the simplest of duties,” Jones said. “Every single policy implemented during his presidency has served only to destroy the United States of America and its people, especially the middle and working classes.”

Pat Walker expressed a similar disdain for Trump’s candidacy, having disagreed with his actions and opinions even before and after his time as president.

“I don’t like a lot of the policies that he has made,” Walker said. “I’m just not on the same page as him as far as that, especially on the things he did when he was president. I don’t think he would be good for the country at all.”

Rita Hall likewise believed no one but Biden should be in office, and was determined to do what she could to prevent Trump from retaking the position.

She voiced her concerns over conservative laws being passed, including the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, expressing that such changes bode poorly for the state of the country and that Biden’s reelection would help lead the nation away from that outcome.

“I feel like we are starting down a path that’s going to undo civil rights, gay rights…I just feel like those are the things we need to be thinking about,” Hall said. “We need to not be going back to the 1950s — it wasn’t such a great place for a lot of people.”

Recent events surrounding the two candidates has not appeared to sway the opinions of these voters; Hall stated that while she felt Biden’s tenure in office was not perfect, she felt his reelection was “the only way” to preserve the nation’s democracy.

Rebekah Hall expressed a similarly resolute stance regarding her support on Trump, dismissing his recent criminal indictment and arguing that the case had only reinforced her opinion of him, as she felt it had for many others across the country.

“The slanderous, illegal, kangaroo trial that President Trump has had to endure is enough to make a mockery out of our faulty current judicial system — what a fiasco,” Hall said. “Many of us see the facade and are ready for the positive change in leadership. The polls are proof. The numbers don’t lie. We see through the smokescreen and are beyond ready for Trump’s proven leadership and Constitutional policies be reinstated in our White House.”

Regardless of their stance on the candidates, the thought on many women’s minds was that the result of this election would nevertheless lead to improvements in the country’s economy, citing adjustments to taxation and boosts to pay rates as particular items in need of attention.

In addition to a hope that the yet-determined president-elect would do more to properly enforce the nation’s laws, Vinnie Holt was insistent adjustments be made to pay rates for the nation’s workforce.

“I just want everybody that’s in office to take into consideration of who put them in office, take into consideration of the citizens,” said Holt. “All citizens don’t make the same amount, but we all need to live.”

Trump and Biden engaged in their first presidential debate June 27, with the resulting face-off sparking some concerns about both candidates, especially Biden. A second debate is scheduled for Sept. 10.