Blue Voters in a Ruby-red District
NAPLES, Fla. — Long before the election in November, fears of catching COVID-19 in crowded public spaces loomed. But for the people who lined up in the Golden Gate neighborhood of this largely conservative city on the West coast of Florida, nothing could stop them from exercising their right to vote.
“Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19 at the age of 74 and that did not stop him from going to a rally. So why should that stop me?” said Mikey Joy, 33, a store clerk at Publix.
This idea resonated with many citizens going out to vote on Election Day. At a time where simple activities can prevent a high level of risk, voters here saw getting out to vote despite the risk as very “patriotic.”
This has been a year of so much contention that the general population knew that one way or another there would be complications when it came to voting. And in the midst of a pandemic, the political tension in the country was at all time high. More than ever, the election felt personal.
“I believe that this is the best political climate for us to be voting in,” said Sandy Vincent, a 24-year-old nurse at Physicians Regional. She said that after watching Trump fail to deal with the pandemic, she felt motivated to get him out of office.
“I don’t even like Biden, but I hate Trump more,” said Sandy’s best friend, Tracie Lejeune, who is a 23-year-old bartender. “The icing on the cake for me was seeing how this man completely disregarded the cries of African Americans around the country with the death of George Floyd.”
One of the reasons that this election was different from any before is the political turmoil that the nation has gone through this year. Demonstrations against racism, police brutality, health care issues and beyond motivated the more citizens than ever to go vote. This was especially true of younger voters. Based on calculations by Circle, the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement at Tufts University, the youth voter turnout was at its highest in 2020. But before 2020, 2016 held the highest youth voter turnout. In 2016 the youth vote was estimated to be 45%-48%, but in 2020 is projected by Circles to rise to 53%-56%.
“This might be ignorant of me, but I would find it hard pressed for anyone in this area to be voting for Trump because there are mainly immigrants in this city,” said Aldo Cordero, 36, a worker for a local construction company. Aldo stated that he understands that there are some immigrants that are Trump supporters, “but honestly after all of the side ball comments this man has made towards immigrants, how can any of them even think about voting for him? But to each his own I guess.”
When examining the current political climate, some may begin to wonder if it will ever get better. In the United States, a deep division has arisen that has its roots not only in the pandemic and the varied opinions surrounding it, but in racism, police brutality, rioting and more.
“People have been worried about the economic effect of COVID and how we will overcome it. But, we have to get past the aftermath of this election first,” said Vincent.
Before the election, many Americans had concerns about the political uncertainty sweeping the nation. They feared the reaction of both sides regardless of the outcome of the election.
“Worst part about all of this is that I see on social media how members from both parties are talking about taking to the streets in either retaliation or in celebration. So, imagine the terror if they clash,” said Annachely Rodriguez, 21, service coordinator for Acura dealership. “Maybe the worst is yet to come. Because regardless of who wins this election, there will be a big political tempest and that may be the biggest storm yet.”
The election was held Tuesday, November 3, but the election was not called for several days. On Saturday, November 7, Biden was declared the winner by most major news outlets. Immediately, Trump began claiming fraud , filing lawsuits, and demanding recounts in several states. These demands were quickly echoed by his supporters. Some lawsuits are still underway, but so far no challenges have changed any part of the results, and all indications are that Joe Biden will be the 46th President of the United States. Whether the political climate will thaw during his term remains to be seen.
