By Claire Chen
Boston University News Service
On Election Day at Old South Church in Copley Square, Massachusetts voters from Ward 5, Precinct 7 (Back Bay) cast their ballots. When asked what brought them to the polls, voters answered: because of what’s at stake.
Lorena Silva-Herman, a self-identified Democrat, said American “democracy and normalcy” are being jeopardized by this election.
“I voted Democrat because there [has] got to be an ethical and moral reset in this country,” she said. “We shouldn’t threaten people.”
“We shouldn’t put people in boxes of good and bad based on what country you come from or who you love,” Silva-Herman also said. “It’s a tipping point for this country, and I’m looking for [America] to move forward with a level of decency.”
In contrast, a 71-year-old Republican and Boston resident, who did not feel comfortable giving his name, likened the current Democratic presidential administration to “tyranny.” He described voting “for the minority party,” aka Republican, as supporting democracy.
“When you have somebody in power too long, it’s very hard to change,” he said. “It should go back and forth — the two party system [and] checks and balances are what the founding fathers wanted. Let’s put it this way.”
“If the Democrats were the minority party [and] the Republicans were in power, I’d vote Democrat,” he also said.
For other voters, the election’s impact on key issues like abortion are what’s at stake. Caroline Barry, a descendant of suffragettes, said this election is about “being a woman, having my rights and making sure that we can keep our rights.”
“I will always cast my vote. But [this] is a very polarizing election, and I think that [given] how important it is, I keep emphasizing that every vote truly counts,” Barry said. “Keep raising awareness and getting your voice out there.”
Another voter, who wished to remain anonymous but described himself as a Boston resident who immigrated from the Middle East, said that the candidates’ stances on foreign policy were a deciding factor.
He also said that it was “a hard decision” of who to vote for, but that in the end, his decision was made with his children in mind. “I consider myself a global citizen, and I am also a parent of two kids,” he said. “I’m very invested in their futures as children of Middle Eastern ancestry from a mixed family.”
He said: “Ultimately, you have to look forward to the next generations.”
