After months of campaigning, candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s fate rests in the hands of voters. Accessibility to voting has never been more expanded, and with a record-breaking 100 million votes cast before Election Day, many are still waiting to cast their ballot in-person.
The enthusiasm from voters this election has been candid, and they’ve shown it by voting early and waiting for hours in long lines. With important issues including abortion, climate change, the Supreme Court, the coronoavirus and the economy there is a lot on the line which means voters are willing to do whatever it takes to be heard.
Voting by mail has become popular this election. With little evidence that voting by mail leads to fraud it has given voters the opportunity to safely cast their ballots without going to the polls. Over the past several months, Trump has cast doubt on voting by mail making people wonder if it’s safe or risky.
Jack Kohler, 21-year-old registered Republican from Southfield, said he voted in person because it guarantees his ballot gets cast for the right candidate.
“First of all, voting in person is safe. I didn’t think it was unsafe for a second … I’ve never voted before, but if I voted by mail I would feel uneasy because does it really get counted? I voted in person because my vote actually gets cast for Trump, and it feels patriotic.” said Kohler.
The in-person vote turnout on election day was a good sign for the president as conservatives predicted more people would vote for Trump over Biden on election day, but what about the mail-in ballots?
Studies have shown that voting by mail is a safe, secure way to vote with almost no voter fraud, and while the world is still in a pandemic voters can vote without worrying about getting sick.
Studies have also shown that more Democrats have voted by mail than Republicans, so could mail-in ballots be the key to Biden’s victory?
Kimberly Veraldi, 26-year-old registered Democrat from Macomb, said she voted by mail because that’s the safest bet for her and her family.
“At one point my whole family had the virus and it was terrifying. None of us got severely sick, but I’m cautious about going to public places now. I don’t want to go to the polls and risk giving the virus to my family again. We just can’t go through that for a second time… Voting by mail was easy, safe, and hopefully all these mail in votes will push Biden to victory!” said Veraldi.
The divide between who to vote for or how to vote is evident in surveys and pollings. With decision 2020 being a tight race the next president could be determined by just a handful of votes. However some voters don’t see this election as a division between us, but as a way for us to compromise.
Brandon Motoligin, 22-year-old independent voter from Romeo, said it doesn’t matter who or how you vote this election, but as long as you vote that is what’s important.
“We are living in a historic time that we’ll be talking to our kids about one day. A record breaking amount of ballots have been casted and as a country we should be proud of that because we’re all doing this together. I’m voting in-person today, and I hope that whoever wins this election and whatever way people voted that we can start listening to each other instead of arguing.” said Motoligin.