Here is a play-by-play of how my Election Day went:
Tuesday, November 8th, 2016. 7:00 AM:
I woke up this morning proud to be an American and proud to be a woman. Today, we have a huge chance of electing our first woman president. Not only that, we have a huge chance of electing a president who respects everyone, no matter what our differences may be. I feel so alive today.
2:15 PM:
I am sitting at my desk, doing some homework. I look outside my dorm room window to see my fellow students walk past with their “I voted” stickers proudly placed on their shirts. Though I didn’t get a sticker, because I did my absentee ballot, I am in the same spot as they are: waiting, waiting, waiting. The unsettled feeling that I am experiencing right now is incredible. I was only called an “uninformed female millennial voter” once today. Awesome.
6:15 PM:
I am sitting in class, refreshing my phone to see if I can get any sort of idea what is happening, though I know it is too early to know.
7:30 PM:
My class is over. I am going to rush back to my dorm to shower and meet up with some friends to watch how this night play out.
8:00 PM:
I am starting to watch CNN live coverage of, what will hopefully be, a historic night for Clinton. I have my popcorn in hand and I am ready to watch.
10:00 PM:
Well…I’m not so ready now. Things are not looking good…
11:30 PM:
My friends went to bed, but I can’t stop watching this…
Wednesday, November 9th, 2016. 12:30 AM:
I am starting to feel sick again. I can feel my heart dance around my chest.
1:30 AM:
I am about to go to bed. Trump has 266 electoral votes and Hillary has 215. I take a few minutes to rant via Snapchat.
6:45 AM:
I couldn’t sleep any longer. I get up and look at my phone, to see a notification from BuzzFeed that Donald Trump was elected to be the president of the United States. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I texted my best friend this:
“When you are gay and you are a woman and Trump is going to run your country and you know that your life is going to change”.
The rest of that day was spent emotionless.
I stood with Hillary Clinton on Election Day 2016, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I’ve spent countless hours researching both presidential candidates and what they stand for. Hillary’s beliefs match with mine and I am proud to say that I exercised my right to vote for her. I believe that everyone deserves respect, including those who have different opinions than me. If you are a Trump supporter, I do not hate you nor wish anything bad on you. I will still be your friend and I will respect our new president. I am just disappointed. I am disappointed because we have come so far as a country and I am hoping this will not push us backwards. Being a woman and part of the LGBTQ community, I feel that I will not have the same opportunities and respect with Trump as our president than I would if Hillary was our president. As I watched her concession speech, I was reassured that I voted for the right person. I am still proud to be an American and a woman and nothing can change that.
