There's plenty of talk of where Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump stand on some of the election's biggest issues.
But what about the major political parties they've been nominated to represent on the top of the ticket?
One of the less flashy purposes of a political convention is to adopt the party’s official platform — a.k.a. the stances and goals that the party selects for the next four years until the next convention.
The platform, which is written by a committee with input from the wider range of party members, covers everything from social issues, to foreign policy, to economic reform.
The platforms are non-binding, meaning candidates, activists, and political groups at the state and local level are free to agree or disagree.
Still, for the average American, the platform can function as a sort of cheat sheet for where a political party stands.
So, what do the party platforms say? We’ve broken down what Republicans and Democrats have to say on the big issues that matter to your life, from student debt to reproductive rights.
Ahead, take a look at the differences between both parties.
On this issue, the presidential candidates align closely with their parties. Republican candidate Donald Trump has professed himself a supporter of the Second Amendment and has said he holds his own concealed-carry permit. Democrat Hillary Clinton has called for stricter regulation of guns and their accoutrements.
Image: Natalia Spotts.
Former presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders' push for free tuition likely influenced the Democratic platform on affordable education. The Republican Party prefers making the option of not going to college affordable, too.
Image: Natalia Spotts.
When it comes to economic inequality, the parties stand on opposite sides of the current debate over minimum wage.
Image: Natalia Spotts.
The Republican Party is concerned with the presence of politics in discussions around climate change, and it objects to international agreements on the issue. Democrats, meanwhile, pledge to uphold them and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Image: Natalia Spotts.
The parties' opposing stances on LGBTQ rights is perhaps best summed up by the current legal fight over transgender students' access to bathrooms.
After the Obama administration instructed schools to allow trans students to use the bathroom of their choice, 11 states, nine of which are headed by Republican governors, sued the federal government.
This is also an example of an issue that lacks consensus within the GOP. Some Republicans — particularly younger members of the GOP — have fought for their party to soften its stance on this issue.
Image: Natalia Spotts.
The 2016 Republican Party platform was the first to expressly name Planned Parenthood, falsely claiming the organisation sells foetal body parts for profit. Democrats, meanwhile, broke new ground by calling out the Hyde amendment, which restricts federal funding for abortion services.
Image: Natalia Spotts.
The Democratic Party platform supports Obama administration initiatives, like Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA), Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, (DACA), and the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, which would allow undocumented immigrant students to remain in the country conditionally.
Republicans voiced support for Trump's call to build a wall along the border between the U.S. and Mexico.
Image: Natalia Spotts.Image: Natalia Spotts.
While President Barack Obama's healthcare law, otherwise known as "Obamacare" or the Affordable Care Act, has been a point of contention between the parties for years, another big issue is the idea of making Medicaid a block grant and giving greater authority to states in the ways that federal funding can be allotted and spent.
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