A little over two weeks ago, Americans set out to have their voice heard at the polls, and that they did. Winning not only the election, but all seven swing states, the popular vote, and both congressional chambers, Republican Nominee Donald Trump came out victorious against Kamala Harris and the Democrats, receiving 312 electoral votes to her 226.
The 2024 Election season is largely, done. Despite a few recounts for congressional seats at play in states like Pennsylvania, the next two years have been set out for us. So, how are you feeling about the results? Relieved? Scared? Distraught? Excited? Those were a few of the words mentioned in passing to me, which gave me the idea to truly attempt to view the election from the eyes of everyone I possibly could.
From those who supported the President-elect, to those who supported Vice President Harris, and those in between, I sought out people of all ages to give me their feelings after the events of November 5th, and where exactly they stand post what may be one of the most damning elections of the modern era of politics. Here are my findings*.
To start, did you vote in this election?
Out of the eighty-seven (87) participants, the following was concluded:
Sixty-four (64) indicated they did vote in the 2024 Election
Twenty-one indicated they could not vote, out of those:
- Four (4) are not a U.S citizen.
Two (2) indicated they did not vote in the 2024 Election.
Their Take:
"So disappointed in the lack of voting. So many people were so undecided that they just decided not to vote. It makes me so angry."
- 25-year-old Female from New Jersey
"The Democratic Party did not give voters the option to choose their nominee. They take too much money from the elite, and constantly move more right than left when it comes to embracing others outside the traditional party lines."
- 36-year-old Female College Graduate from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
"Democrats - more specifically leftists - need to learn to swallow their pride and vote for a candidate that doesn’t meet every single one of their criteria. Republicans would fall in line and vote for Bin Laden as long as he had an R next to his name. I’ve seen way more infighting among the left instead of forming a solid coalition against the MAGA movement. You’ve been calling Joe Biden “Genocide Joe” and are confused as to why young voters aren’t rallying behind his Vice President, despite the fact that the pragmatically realistic option for voters who are concerned with Palestine is to vote Democrat down the ballot. Women and LGBTQ+ individuals risk losing their rights because a lot of young voters care more about virtue signaling than actually winning elections. We’ve seen from the exit polls that Black men, Hispanics, and Muslim voters have shifted to the right because of poor marketing from the left. Unfortunately, I believe that the left often infantilizes minority groups and assumes that they’re progressive monoliths - ignoring notable sexism, racism, and antisemitism in these groups."
- 20-year-old Male College Junior from Glendora, New Jersey
If yes, who did you vote for?
Out of the sixty-four (64) that indicated they did vote in the election:
Sixty (60) indicated they voted for the Harris/Walz ticket.
Four (4) indicated they voted for the Trump/Vance ticket.
Their Take:
"I didn’t vote for Trump because I think he is going to be the savior this country needs. I took a risk on him and I accept that. If he worsens the economy I will not complain because I know what I got myself into. I voted for Trump because it SEEMS as though he is the better candidate to accomplish the goals I want to see in this country."
- 18-year-old Female High School Senior from New Jersey
"I’m a former conservative who voted for Trump in 2020. As his rhetoric became more dehumanizing and violent, I began to switch sides. January 6th and Trump’s disregard for a peaceful transition of power and disrespect for the Constitution swayed me to vote for Harris.
- 23-year-old Female from Southern Ohio
Now, let's move on to where you are at right now. How are you feeling about the results of this election?
Out of the eighty-seven (87) participants, the following was indicated:
Seventy-seven (77) claimed to be 'Unhappy'.
- One (1) indicated they felt 'utterly devastated'.
- One (1) indicated they felt 'absolutely not happy'.
Eight (8) claimed to be 'Happy'.
Two (2) claimed to be 'Indifferent'.
Their take:
"This election was a wake-up call to many Americans and was significant in engaging the next generation to pay attention to politics. One party ran on feelings, and the other focused on issues that every American was facing and the policy work needed to fix these issues. While I am glad about the outcome, I wish the Harris campaign had done a better job and focused more on facts over feelings. I was disappointed in the media and the blatant bias that many channels showed. In the future, I hope we can work towards media outlets becoming a more reliable source instead of tailoring their news to fit the agenda of one candidate or the other."
- 21-year-old Female College Senior from Flordia
"So many women voted for Trump. So many Latinos and African Americans. It is absolutely shocking. It is like the trees voting for the axe"
- 64-year-old Male College Graduate from Florida
"I feel betrayed by the American people - even though I didn't get to vote for several reasons, it feels unfair that my fate as a foreign-based teenager is so largely determined by a few hundred thousand voters in a few states across an ocean."
- 17-year-old Female High School Senior from Sweden
"I truly feel heartbroken. Yesterday I was crying all day and just could not fathom how the country could possibly pick him. My heart is shattered. And that’s how it will stay till the next election."
- 18-year-old Female High School Senior from Pennsylvania
"
How do you feel about the future of America?
Out of the eighty-seven (87) participants, the following was concluded:
Sixty-one (61) indicated they felt 'scared'
Fourteen (14) indicated they felt 'bad'
Four (4) indicated they felt 'confident'
Three (3) indicated they felt 'good'
Two (2) indicated they felt 'neutral'
One (1) indicated they felt the following:
- 'Genuinely terrified'
- 'Mortified'
- 'Sad'
Their Take:
"It's giving the end of Camp Rock 2 - I felt hopeful and now I feel distraught. I'm shocked but not surprised by the amount of people voting for someone who promotes hate. I feel that we are heading backward and destroying progress that has been built up over the years. It’s even more frightening how nobody has answers. All we can do is keep living life and hope. I’m a part of the LGBTQ+ community. I was hoping to marry my partner within the next few years. I was hoping to become a woman surgeon in the next few years. I feel that both are at risk. I feel like I am losing the future I have been working for due to homophobia and an irritating "tradwife" and white nationalist culture. I fear that I won’t be able to marry my partner, and if the department of education is at risk, I won’t be able to afford attending medical school. I won’t even feel confident about health care due to proposed restrictions by our current president-elect and their following. Nobody has answers. All I can do is wait and see."
- 23-year-old Female from Pennsylvania
"To know that a convicted felon, rapist, fascist, and quite frankly blatantly stupid individual would win 70 million people is the most disheartened I have felt in my life. It seems as though no matter how much we teach history it is bound to repeat itself"
- 27-year-old Female Graduate Student from Georgia
"I believe the results of this election are due to the ignorance of the American people. I feel disappointed in American citizens as it was their job to educate themselves on each candidate’s belief systems. I feel as though people did not take the time to learn about what our future may be with each candidate as president. As well as not taking the time to evaluate each candidate's character and the way they each act in present-day society."
- 16-year-old Female High School Junior from Pennsylvania
Are America's best days ahead of or behind us?
Out of the eighty-seven (87) participants,
Forty-five (45) indicated they are 'unsure'.
Twenty-two (22) indicated they are 'ahead'.
Twenty (20) indicated they are 'behind us'.
Their Take:
"Even though I am quite upset with the outcome of the election and very scared for what the second Trump administration looks like, I responded that the best days are ahead of us because I believe the fight is not over. I believe beyond the next 4 years there is still so much room for growth and improvement in this country. Hopefully, the loss of the election will come as a wake-up call to many and we can find our communities and take action."
- 23-year-old Female College Graduate from Philadelphia, P.A
"I am terrified to live in a country where the promise of cheaper eggs means more to the majority than the safety of its citizens. I do believe better days are ahead of us but unfortunately, we have a long road to fight to see those and it’s disheartening when we’ve been fighting for so long."
- 22-year-old Female from Delaware
"I’m disappointed and sickened with the results. At first, when I noticed he was winning I chose to go to bed early and deal with it in the morning. Only to notice that he was 100 (electoral votes) away when I went to bed. Not only am I upset Donald Trump won the presidency but horrified at what may come from his presidency. Rather than going forward, the country’s going backward, which is a joke considering we’re a first-world country.
- 22-year-old Female from New York
Focusing on Key Issues
On the Environment...
"We need to organize more than ever and get as many local democratic politicians elected to have a chance at saving our planet at this point since Trump won. Our party can’t play checkers anymore. Now we play chess and be even more strategic to save the planet and the local level is one way to do that because there is no planet B."
- 24-year-old Male from Delaware
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On LGBTQ+ Rights...
"Personally I am scared for my rights as a gay man."
- 20-year-old Male from New Jersey
"As a Lesbian, I just feel defeated. Trump supporters will say that he isn't against gay marriage."He won't do anything", they claim. Maybe he isn't, but look at who he hires for his cabinet, who he surrounds himself with, and the homophobia his supporters utilize towards the community. I have realized throughout this that the biggest problem in America today is the rise of white Christian nationalism. That is who supports him. Let me tell you: there is no hate like Christian love, and that's what the right claims to be full of.
Your religion will not be my damnation."
- 20-year-old Female College Junior from New Jersey
"I'm scared about what this means for me as someone who is AFAB but nonbinary, I'm lucky to live in a blue area but I wonder how much time I really have before I'm in a bad situation."
- 26-year-old Non-Binary Graduate Student from Fairfield County, Connecticut
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On the Economy...
"I am disappointed that people couldn’t look past immediate gratification (their wallets) to see the detrimental and deadly outcomes that will affect so many of us."
- 41-year-old Female Teacher from York, Pennsylvania
"I feel very conflicted, people fail to realize that Trump’s economy was the result of Obama’s policy. The reason why we saw so much inflation in our economy was due to Trump’s effect."
- 16-year-old Male High School Sophomore from Texas
"I am hoping with this result that the economy improves so I can afford groceries, gas, and one day afford my own home. I also think things internationally are going to become much more stable and hopefully the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza are now able to end peacefully."
- 23-year-old Female Graduate Student from New York
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On Donald Trump's Criminal Record...
"I can’t be a felon as an RN, but the president of the United States can be. I don’t think it is fair to not allow felons to have certain jobs, to vote, etc when the president can be one."
- 24-year-old Female Nurse from Florida
"For a party that once claimed to be all about "law and order"- they sure have fallen from grace."
- 20-year-old Female from New Jersey
"Being a girl, all I want is to see a woman in the white house to show that we can hold these powerful positions too. It’s disappointing to know people would rather see a criminal who was literally impeached instead of a well-qualified, black, Southeast Asian woman holding the most important office in the country. On top of that right-wing influencers have been posting “your body, my choice” and “women will never be president” on social media where young girls are going to see it and feel less than the boys in their lives."
- 24-year-old Female from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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On Reproductive Rights...
"As a gay woman, I’m extremely scared for my future. I had always dreamt of being a mom and I just know at this point it would be irresponsible and risking my life to even try."
- 28-year-old Female from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
"It’s so incredibly disheartening to see how many people vote against the rights of minorities, the lower class, LGBTQ+ identifying people, reproductive rights, etc. We’ve elected the nation’s most notorious cult leader, for a second time."
- 24-year-old Female from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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As politics are as polarized as ever, many participants discussed issues navigating relationships with family and friends going forward. Here are some responses that stood out to me.
"The election has made me feel very isolated within my social life and family. It hurts so much to know that my family and my loved ones voted against everything I believe in. It makes me mad that someone with federal convictions can lead our country. It is embarrassing that he is the face of the US and that I live here."
- 23-year-old Female Graduate Student from New York
"Just sad that I've lost quite a few friends over this because the other side doesn’t think I should have rights"
- 23-year-old Female College Senior from Long Island, New York.
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Anything Else to Add?
"I believe Russian and billionaire interference with our democratic process is undeniable and has caused America to spiral into fascism via fear-mongering the poorest and least educated among us, providing false promises of filling the void in young men's life and using their anger and fear to strip rights of all women, queer people, and people of color. Visit aidaccess.org"
- 21-year-old Female from Indiana
"Both politicians are horrible human beings."
- 22-year-old Female College Senior from Long Island, New York
"Joe Biden will go down as one of the worst presidents in American history for his refusal to step down early enough for the party to conduct an open primary. That primary would’ve allowed for our candidate to build a movement across the country to defeat Trumpism. Personally, I think Harris would’ve ended up winning anyway, but the primary would’ve strengthened her in the eyes of the voters and allowed her to really build a platform that spoke to Americans. Instead, she relied on the stupid advisors that convinced Biden to stay in as long as he did and they handed the keys to the country over to a wannabe dictator. I will never forgive Joe Biden for his selfishness and the ego-driven decision to give the American government back to Trump."
- 24-year-old Male from Center City, Philadelphia
"They (Democrats) fumbled hard, listen to public pressure more."
- 20-year-old Male College Junior from Bucks County, Pennsylvania
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Lastly, summarize this election and its outcome with one word.
"Disappointing" "Amazing" "Oligarchian" "Joke"
"Tragedy" "Polarizing" "Uneducated"
"MAGA" "Unfair" "Terrifying" "Sexist"
"Backstabbing" "Heartbreaking" "relieving"
"Predictable" "Sad" "Shocking" "Eye-opening"
"Hell" "Shell-Shocking" "Awful"
"Hopeless" "Unreal" "Crucial" "Embarrassing"
... and that's only some of them.
& that is where they stand on the election.
Regardless of your feelings on the election, the next four years will be different for everyone. Some for the better, some for the worse.
It is so important to keep having open and civil conversations about politics, even long after the election is over. Make your voice heard, even if it's anonymous. Speak up. Call your representatives. Advocate for positions and causes you care about. Find your community.
The impact of politics doesn't disappear after the first Tuesday in November, it does and will affect you every day after. This is why having an outlet to voice your opinion is so important, and why I continue to poll people across the aisle.
So now that you know where eighty-seven of these participants stand:
where do you stand?
*DISCLAIMER: None of the views expressed within the article indicate The Opinionated's stance. All views expressed belong to the individual who responded to our poll, conducted through Google Forms. The Opinionated holds no right to the views expressed.
Photo Credit:
[1]- AP
[2]- Politico
[3]- AP News
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