November 8, 2016, was a historical day in United States history. Donald Trump was announced to the president-elect with 279 delegates. This will not only be the only thing I will remember about November 8, 2016. This will be the day I voted for the first time. As a first-generation Latinx voter, I felt honored. The majority of the people in my family only dream about being in my shoes. And although I didn't like both Trump and Hillary Clinton, I felt like not voting was something that didn't seem right because of this.
Since being one of the first in my family to vote, it was difficult to know what to expect on Election Day. No one really told what to do once I got into my polling place. I felt like a deer in headlights while I was voting. But I managed to pull through and vote successfully. Once that was done, the waiting game began.
My family and I began to wait for the first polls to close. At first, we all had hopes that Clinton would win the presidency. During the first hour, we (along with the rest of the United States) thought that she would win by a landslide. Once Trump was leading in Florida however, I felt like there was a slimmer chance that she would win.
As we continued to watch the rest of the projections coming in, each of us was losing hope in Clinton winning. By 11PM, we all just knew that Trump was going to win. But we kept watching just in case a slight miracle happened. I couldn't help but try to imagine Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States. Trying to imagine that just made me upset. I didn't want to keep watching. I just wanted to hear the official announcement so I could turn off my television.
I fell asleep at 2AM. When I woke up that morning wondering what my parents thought of the whole situation. They told me that they weren't worried about the whole situation. That in the end, everything will be alright. But I couldn't help but still feel paranoid. Trump has been known to be unpredictable. I could only think of the worse.
My emotions towards this election have been a combination of fear and annoyance. I've seen several people voice their opinion about Trump winning the presidency. The majority of them are angry and won't accept the results. Meanwhile, I'm still in shock about the whole thing. I honestly no clue to express my feelings towards everything.
I don't regret voting at all. There are so many people in the United States who wish to have the ability to do so. I feel like it would be a waste if I didn't so so. Although, I do wish there was a change in the voting process. Only time will tell if this ever does happen.
These next four years will be the most interesting years for the United States. No one can really predict what will happen in the next couple of years. And that's one of the scariest thoughts ever.
