The 2024 election is just around the corner, and this year perhaps more than ever before, public health is on the ballot. It’s essential for public health professionals and advocates to understand what is at stake in this election so they can plan and adapt as necessary.
Disinformation and misinformation have plagued public health efforts since the height of the pandemic and before. Independent political groups and even some candidates have begun to call for the end of vaccination campaigns. Lawsuits have challenged preventive treatment measures and other cornerstones of the Affordable Care Act. And some jurisdictions have gone so far as to prohibit masks in public. Together, these forces call into question essential and fundamental tools that communities have historically used to protect public health.
What’s at Stake
Attacks on Public Health Authority: Public health agencies work to slow or halt the spread of disease, to prevent injuries, and to reduce chronic ailments. To fulfill these basic goals, they must have the legal authority to implement policies and programs. But this authority to act is increasingly under attack. For example, newly elected candidates may pursue state and federal preemption of local public health policies. Preemption represents a pernicious threat to public health, as it displaces innovative programs designed to fit local needs.
State legislatures around the country have also dialed back or repealed the authority of public health departments to address public health emergencies. And the next president will have the opportunity to appoint judges to federal courts who, thanks to recent Supreme Court rulings, will have more expansive power to weigh in on administrative rules and regulations and to determine whether and to what extent federal agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services can address developing public health issues.
Policy Determinants of Health: At the broadest level, the 2024 election will shape state and federal policy on issues ranging from the environment to housing to public infrastructure. Basic needs like clean air and water, access to stable housing, and safe roads and equitable transit systems are key determinants of public health. Perhaps most salient, the 2024 election will directly impact federal and state efforts to address climate change and to mitigate its impacts on underserved populations.
Resources and Action Steps
Educate Yourself: Public health professionals and advocates can take advantage of a variety of tools and resources to learn about these issues and to help them better prepare for the post-election landscape.
Act for Public Health is a consortium of public health partners working to preserve public health authority and infrastructure, including the Public Health Law Center, Center for Public Health Law Research, ChangeLab Solutions, The Network for Public Health Law, Public Health Law Watch.
Local Solutions Support Center is a national organization that works to preserve local authority from the threats of preemption.
Educate the Public: Public health professionals and advocates should continue to educate the public about their work, about public health risks, and about steps people can take to improve public health. In a politically polarized climate, public health professionals must continue to provide evidence-based, culturally tailored, and effective messages about public health so they can maintain and build trust with the community.
Voting as a Public Health Intervention: Finally, a growing body of research shows that communities with higher levels of democratic participation also enjoy higher levels of public health. There are many possible explanations for this phenomenon, but certainly one potential cause is that engaged citizens tend to vote for candidates who advance progressive public health agendas. Public health professionals and advocates should consider that part of their role in providing for a healthy community is advocating for a healthy democracy.
Conclusion
Public health professionals and advocates work to address the social and environmental determinants of health, but they should not lose sight of the political determinants of health as well. Elections have consequences, and often those consequences are felt most acutely—for good or ill—by underserved, frontline communities. Public health professionals need to be aware of what’s at stake this election year and educate their communities about the likely public health impacts of the 2024 election.
Tom Pryor, Lead Senior Staff Attorney
October 31, 2024