“The Transition Begins,” The New York Times announced on the morning of Nov. 24. President-elect Joseph R. Biden is moving into the White House as the Trump administration departs. After refusing to accept the loss in previous weeks, it seems as though President Trump is moving out—Twitter records Trump accepting the decision, while not conceding. He has also stated that he will continue to overturn election results, The New York Time reports. Even so, cities such as San Francisco celebrated the results by throwing parties in the streets.
EMU 2019 alum Claire Waidelich shared that the morning after many news outlets announced Biden as the winner, she saw people gathered in the streets below her apartment in San Francisco. Waidelich was confused until her mother called later with the results.
“I’m not a party person,” Waidelich explained as the reason she decided to stay inside. Despite the large crowds, Wadielich did report that everyone was wearing masks. Later, while walking to a local park, Waidelich noticed more crowds singing and cheering.
Senior Hailey Edmonds commented on controversy around both of the candidates. She explained that she voted the way that she did (choosing not to disclose who) because she, “felt like [she] was choosing the lesser of the two evils.” She picked the candidate who she “felt slightly better about.”
This is not Edmonds’ first presidential election, so she knows the process of mail-in ballots. Edmonds shared, “I think mail-in ballots are very helpful.” Edmonds’ father has trouble getting to the polls due to long hours and a long commute. “Some years he simply cannot make it to the polls before they shut down.” For this reason, mail-in ballots are helpful for Edmonds’ family. However, Edmonds added, “It is not fair for America to be waiting for an answer due to straggling ballots because people were not mindful in getting them in the mail sooner.” Overall, Edmonds felt like this election has continued to divide the country. “This election seemed to have more bad press and backstabbing than other elections,” she said.
Senior Austin Yoder explained how historic this election is. “To sum it up quickly, in 2020 we are facing a climate crisis, a global pandemic, a failing economy and intense racial divides,” he said. Yoder shared that he voted for Biden and Harris because, “they were the candidates who had the best shot of taking over the POTUS.” Yoder continued, “I love the representation that Kamala brings for women and Black or Asian individuals, but the main reason was to get a new president.” Even though this was Yoder’s first presidential election, and he “hasn’t been alive that long,” Yoder pointed out how important this election is for the future.
