Like many other millennials, I woke up on Tuesday, November eighth filled with so much hope for my country and excited that it was finally Election Day. Despite Election Day not going as planned for some of us, the excitement is something I won’t forget. Here’s how my day as a first-time voter went.
Waking up knowing it was my first election:
I woke up at exactly 6:55 in the morning, a time I have not willingly woken up at once in the last four years. I jumped out of bed and went on and on to my roommates about how excited I was to elect the first female president. Well, it looks like I spoke too soon.
Walking over to my polling place:
Actually, it was more like skipping. The polling place was just a block down from where I live, so we got there before 7:30. And yes, I continued to squeal about how excited I was.
Fidgeting in line:
I probably shouldn’t have had coffee so early in the morning; I think people may have been staring, but I was too thrilled to notice.
Filling out the ballot:
I was handed the long white piece of paper and told to fill in the bubbles, which sounds simple enough, right? Little did I know you have to put the ballot into a machine afterwards, which counts the vote. I watched maybe five people do it before I gathered the courage to turn in my ballot. Yes, I’m crazy.
Grabbing not one, but two “I Voted” stickers:
What’s more American than taking multiples of things when they are free? I convinced myself that I needed one for my sweater and one to save for commemoration. I already lost the one I was planning on saving, but it was worth a shot.
Waiting all day for the numbers to come in:
This was worse than waiting for recess in elementary school. We live in an age of instant gratification; how could anyone be expected to calmly wait all day to find out who the next president is?
Sitting in front of the TV as Trump slowly beat Hillary Clinton:
Finally, the time came to watch the results come in. With my red wine and sushi in front of me, I sat down to watch what I thought would be history being made. When I tuned in and saw that Florida was leaning towards Trump, I immediately went into the first stage of grief: denial.
Crying:
I thought that since it was my first election, everything would go my way. Instead, the unimaginable happened: Trump, someone who I had thought throughout the entire primary was playing a practical joke, won the election. So at two in the morning, when Trump finally came out and gave his acceptance speech, I cried.
In all seriousness, no matter your political affiliation, the thought of someone so unqualified running this country is scary. Add that to the things he has said that are not just hurtful, but blatantly racist, sexist, homophobic and so much more. At the end of the day though, I am glad I went out and performed my civic duty and voted for the change I wanted to see. But now, if Trump can win, does that mean Kanye can too? #Kanye2020