I am 19 years old and this was my first time voting in a presidential election. This was also the second time I’ve worked as an election worker. I knew how hectic this election would be, not only because it was a presidential one, but the voter attitude of “voting for the lesser evil” had become prominent with the discontent of the leading candidates.
On Election Day, the lines reached out to the parking lot throughout the day, and I saw a very diverse group of voters. I was happy to see all the young people and people of color out to vote. Everyone was calm and patient in line. I was surprised that I did not need to inform anyone about the law against electioneering, considering how popular Trump merchandise is.
Many of the people who came to vote were registering to vote for the first time. People whose first language wasn’t English brought a family member to help them register. It made me very happy to see people take advantage of same day registration voting. This election was driving significant voter mobilization.
However, this wasn’t due to it being a normal presidential race; it was a race between continuing our current system of a gridlocked democracy or a path towards authoritarianism. I say this with no exaggeration. This was the Democratic Party versus Donald Trump. A convicted felon, rapist, misogynist, and racist. A traitor to the United States who incited white supremacists to attack the Capitol. Besides Grover Clevland, Donald Trump is the second U.S. President who ran for and won a nonconsecutive term. This was not a normal presidential election.
It is alarming the amount of youth that went out to vote for Trump. It is Trump’s supporters that scare me more than Trump himself. They are the people we interact with. The people who spread hate. The people who will run for office, long after Trump’s time in office. The justices in the Supreme Court, who have been hand selected by Donald Trump, will be there for life. With the Supreme Court on Trump’s side, states have a greater ability to enact far-right policies. While we live in a blue state, there is no federal protection to keep it blue if the far-right seeks official positions in the state. How will we undo the damage Trump has done and will do in office?
It was eye-opening how one-sided the votes were for Trump and how communities of color voted for him, especially the men in those communities. It hurts to know that people do not care about women’s lives or it is the lowest priority. With Roe v. Wade being overturned, I do not want to have children. Why would I risk dying from the complications of pregnancy if the state forces me to go through with it? That’s not pro-life, that’s pro-women’s death.
I am scared to live in a country that does not value women or people of color. I think the education system in each state is telling on how people still support him, how people of color and women hold internalized hate to vote against their own interests. The historical context of racism and misogyny in the United States is proof on how it continues to affect our society to this day. Trump winning is continued proof.
I voted for Kamala Harris because I wanted to say I voted for the first woman president. Not because I support the Democratic Party and not because I support her stance on Palestine – I did it for representation. I did it so that Trump wouldn’t win.
I do not agree with our two-party system or the electoral college. I do not believe we live in a democracy, but a representative one. I believe the United States was created to uphold a specific group of people and systemically hold others back. I believe this continues to persevere in new forms.
If white men like JD Vance can seriously say, “If I have to create stories… then that’s what I’m going to do,” and still become vice president, there is a disproportionate advantage that white men continue to have in this system. If felons can’t vote, but a rich one can become president then we are divided by class.
Representation is not a modern aspect of society, but something that continues to need work. We need to progress socially in representation in order to change the system.
