The country, moreover, the world, waits with bated breath to find out who will be the successor to most powerful man on earth. All of the candidates have cast their votes, and the smattering of public appearances are now mere formalities. Those who haven’t made their decisions by now are probably not going to vote. With all the hype and controversy surrounding this, the most historical campaign and election yet, most of the country found itself polarized pretty early on in the campaign process.
Most of the regions of our country held true to their roots, or so the polls have continued to tell us. One aspect of this election that is different from the others is the sheer volume of voters who are turning out at the polls, many who have never voted before. In the rural South, young people are turning out in droves, many of them too young to have voted in the last election.
Matthew K, 23, of Alabama, voted early this morning, driving two counties over from where he works, to let his voice be heard. He feels that people have no right to complain about the state of the country if they don’t exercise their most fundamental American right. Matthew envisions a future of dictatorial rule for the American people if they don’t stand up now and make their opinions heard, in this, such a time of political and cultural upheaval.
April M, 22, former resident of Northwest Florida, now residing in southeastern Alabama, says that she missed being eligible for the last election by just a few months, but that she thinks it’s important for young people to get out and vote because you should know that you had a say in who your leader will be. She says that she wants to wake up every day for the next four years knowing that, even should her candidate not win, she still made a difference with her vote.
Even in the most rural areas of southern Alabama, people in their early twenties were out this morning before going to work, defying the tradition of apathy on the part of younger generations. Whomever they are voting for, twenty-somethings who have never before cared about the future of their country are hitting the polls in historical numbers, in town halls, school gyms, and community centers.
There is no question that this will be a fight to the finish, with many people speculating as to the chances of another electoral snafu, such as that in 2000 between George H. W. Bush and Al Gore. With the record-breaking number of voter turn-out across the country, this is all the more likely, especially considering reports of problems already arising in polling centers, and rumors of post-elections riots. Still, it has not stopped those who are determined to make their voice heard. Power outages in California and intimidation by Black Panthers notwithstanding, this will go down as the most polarizing election since before the Civil War. As never before in our nation’s young history, Americans have exercised their right to have a say in their future.