The State of Vape: Could Vaping Decide The 2020 Election?

As many of you know, vaping has been a hot-button issue since September 2019 and will become more important as the 2020 election approaches. The eJuices.com team has been hard at work telling you how you can advocate for vaping and the vape industry in general. As we have said before in previous blogs, you can take action and tell your elected officials that you oppose a flavor ban. Amidst all the issues that are surrounding this crucial election year, it might be vaping that could decide the 2020 election. Here’s why.

What The Vape Industry Has Done

The vape industry is creating jobs and helping individuals access alternative nicotine products. Many adults have credited flavors in helping them switch to vaping. The very existence of your local vape shop or retail establishment, as well as sites such as eJuices.com that facilitate the purchasing experience of vape products, are essential to the employment of hundreds of thousands of individuals.

President Donald Trump had made the claim that he will become “the greatest jobs president in history” and has been against excessive regulations in various other industries. Pro-vape advocates have said that if a flavor ban or other restrictive regulations are imposed on the vaping industry, it could actually create the newest and biggest black market in the United States today. Therefore, could vaping actually decide the 2020 election?

Vaping And Its Effect On The 2020 Election

The map above details several key states that may decide the outcome of the 2020 election. Trump had very narrow margins of victory in states like Wisconsin and Michigan, and narrowly lost states like Nevada, New Hampshire, and Maine. Larger states such as Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania have been considered swing states in presidential elections longer than vaping has existed, but these 12 states could be considered as a larger collection of “vape states” in 2020. 

Why is this important? About 80% of vapers are single-issue voters on vaping, which means entire states could be flipped if flavor bans or higher taxes on vape products pass in these states, and especially if these strategies are applied federally. We have already seen the age to buy tobacco or vape products raised to 21 at the federal level, as well as the banning of flavored pods. While placing barriers to access such as age verification checks are beneficial to both the industry and might stave off further regulation, there is no doubt that even further restrictions on the industry such as flavor bans or high taxation may deprive vapers of harm reduction products such as flavors.

Vaping may not be the key issue in the 2020 election in the big picture, but it is definitely an issue that many voters will keep an eye on in 2020 when voting for elected officials. Let your elected officials know that you vape and you vote. As always, take action as much as possible.