compiled by Joan Eliyesil, Marty Green, John Osborn, and Hannah Taylor
The Press asked voters exiting the polls how they planned to spend election night and what their hopes and anxieties were as they awaited results. Here are some of their responses.
First-time voter Katherine Prouty said she hoped people would just start “getting along” following the election. “In years past the parties weren’t as divided as they are now,” she said. But having voted, “everything’s out of my control now. … I just hope everything gets less agitated.” Prouty said she would probably watch a favorite TV show, “The Irrational,” before going to bed.
Lorelei McClure walks in to vote with companion dog Prince Charming.
Lorelei McClure—accompanied by her helper dog Prince Charming—had America’s involvement overseas on her mind. “I have a loved one deployed in Syria,” she said. “I do not like what the current government is doing in reference to its support of Israel. So I am very much looking forward to trying to change the government, because I believe the people who are looking to be elected will do something.” She added, “I think no matter what happens, we’re going to have riots.”
Jesse Lowe of Devens, a member of Devens’ Educational Advisory Committee, said she had been making get-out-the-vote phone calls on behalf of the Democratic Party, which she found reassuring. “I’ve spoken to people in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, Arizona, most of the swing states,” she said. “I can honestly tell you, I’ve had one grumpy person, but she wasn’t even mean. She was just grumpy. Everybody else was nice, And that was like hundreds of calls … which honestly just gives me so much hope for our country.”
Jesse’s husband Jeff said the couple planned to join a Zoom party of friends to await election results. “Whatever the outcome, it’s a done deal now,” he said.
While some voters were swearing off election night TV, others said they’d tune in—either for the results or to distract themselves with shows unrelated to politics. One young man said he was going to watch something distracting while doomscrolling on his phone. Another voter said she planned to watch a movie on the Hallmark channel to avoid stressing about the results, though a man walking by told her the channel would probably scroll election results in a banner at the bottom of the screen during the movie. “They damn well better not,” she replied. Three first-time young voters said they wouldn’t stay up to watch results because they had school in the morning. And a good number of voters said they planned to drink while watching the results, one of whom said she’d be watching, drinking, and praying.
One woman said she planned to sit calmly and wait until Wednesday to turn on the TV. She said, “My grandson told me the sun is going to come up tomorrow, no matter what.” Several other women also said they were not going to watch television coverage, because they were too nervous or scared about the outcome. “It’s terrifying,” one said. Another agreed, “It’s a terrifying day.”
“I’m going to make comfort food and watch the returns,” was one woman’s plan. A man predicted, “I’ll be glued to the TV and praying to God!” Another voter said, “I’ll be watching MSNBC,” while another declared that he refused to watch “the guy with the big map,” MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki.
A young man who attends UMass Amherst and who had come home to vote said he would be watching the returns when he got back to campus, as well as drinking a few beers with friends. One voter said he did not plan to watch TV coverage, but would be checking the New York Times online for returns. “There will probably be some alcohol involved,” he added.
A pair of voters expressed anxiety about the election outcome and the future of the country, but felt they did their part by voting. “As millennials, we’re in charge now,” said one, a young woman. “It is actually our civic duty … We need to do something about it, we can’t just complain about it,” she said. Their shared plans for election night were to “crack open a bottle of wine” and watch the election results come in on television but “with eyes covered.”
Donna Lee said she “signed up for a yoga class” to take her mind off of the election results that evening, adding that she would also be “hiding her remote” to avoid watching the news on TV. “I usually never vote,” she said, “but I felt I needed to.” Lee voiced that she was most concerned about violence breaking out after the election. “If we don’t win something, we have to accept it with grace, but I don’t think we’re that country anymore,” she said.
One older woman, who chose to remain anonymous, said her biggest concern is women’s rights. “That’s always number one and always will be,” she said, adding, “We’ve come so far. Think of all the suffragettes rolling over in their graves right now.”
David McDonell said he feels “utter terror” about this election. “It’s a very tumultuous and upsetting time,” he added.
One of the election officials, an older man who chose to remain anonymous, spoke about the importance of voting and encouraging others to vote. “Voting is very special,” he said, “I’m an American citizen, and voting is my civic duty.”
Mary Traphagen, a teacher and a mother in Harvard, called the election “high stakes” and said she has “a lot of concerns in this election,” including women’s rights, climate change, and democracy. “Not for Massachusetts, but for the country, I’m concerned about women’s access to our decisions for our bodies,” Traphagen said, “I’m concerned about the divisiveness in our country and I’m hoping that my vote can help heal that divisiveness.” Traphagen planned to stay up as late as possible on election night. “I want to go to bed with some idea of the results,” she said.
One woman said she planned to spend election night avoiding the news. “I’m not going to pay attention to the news tonight like I would have in the past because it’s too stressful and we won’t know by tonight anyway,” she said. Instead, she said her plan was to relax, read a book, and make dinner for her family. Likewise, Kate Wool, a Press photographer, said she would be joining her mahjong group for the evening.