Making sense of the Election Day result

It was a somber and subdued atmosphere in Lawrence High School for faculty and students the morning after Election Day ad Donald Trump had defeated Hillary Clinton.

 Although the majority of the country had voted for Clinton and she ultimately won the popular vote, the Electoral College majority went to Trump. After many long months of acrimonious rhetoric and vicious name-calling had exposed the U.S. and the world at large to a new low in political campaigning, however, peoples’ processing of the result and their initial reactions had only just begun.

Lawrence High’s Social Studies Department held a mock presidential election on Nov. 7. Both students and teachers were canvassed for their votes. The final results was not announced until Wednesday, the day after Election Day on Nov. 8, it was patently obvious from the start the way students leaned. It was no surprise that an ethnically and racially diverse student population was not favorably inclined to support the candidate tagged by the media as a “racist misogynist bigot” (Trump). On the other hand, many kids openly denounced and withheld their support for a candidate labeled as a “lying and corrupt criminal” (Clinton). For the most part, Lawrencians represented a microcosm of the country when they voiced their opinion that neither candidate seemed like the best option.

Lawrence senior Kristian Cabrera was only 4 when he and his parents emigrated to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic. Cabrera voiced the fears that many minority students are experiencing: “I feel like all the things he [Trump] said during his campaign is only going to increase the amount of open racism once he steps into office. It’s just throwing away all the work we’ve been doing to end racism. Whether it’s black, Latino, LGBT, or women, I feel like all those people’s rights will be taken away with Trump’s ideas.” 

Senior Matt Serebryansky remained a staunch Trump supporter throughout the campaign. “I was extremely delighted when he got elected,” Serebryansky said. “I think Trump will enforce the law, improve the economy, and protect our rights. The people protesting are ignorant; Trump won fair and square. We don’t elect presidents in the U.S. through a popular vote; we do it through the Electoral College. They are acting the same way the mocked Trump supporters would act when Hillary was projected to win.”  

Erika Kirchner, another senior, also favored Trump over Clinton. “He is different than any other politician we have ever had. Thanks to our system of check and balances, he doesn’t have as much power as it seems, so people should stop being so afraid and be a little more open-minded to this transition. Our different opinions and beliefs are what make us American and I cannot fathom the idea that people are actually protesting this.”  

Junior Ruby Levine had supported neither candidate. “I have never felt more uncomfortable walking through the halls of my own school. I felt everyone was extremely hostile to one another, especially some of the minority students towards the white students. It was very unfair because people assumed if you were Caucasian, you supported Trump because both the news and social media portrayed him as someone who hated minorities,” she said. 

Social studies teacher Dr. Stephen Sullivan explained his vote for the Green Party’s presidential candidate. “I voted for Jill Stein, not because she is a remarkable leader, but to send a message to both parties that their candidates were unacceptable to decent Americans. I am worried by the results of the recent election, but do not fear for the republic. Our institutions are strong. Our electoral process, although imperfect, is fair. Donald Trump won fair and square. I respect the office, if not the man. I now occupy a respected position in American lore – the loyal opposition,” Sullivan said.

Disillusioned voters are openly showing their disdain for the election results by proclaiming that Trump is not their president. Now would be a good time to pay special heed to the words of the outgoing president.  “That’s the way politics works sometimes. We try really hard to persuade people that we’re right. And then people vote. And then if we lose, we learn from our mistakes, we do some reflection, we lick our wounds, we brush ourselves off, we get back in the arena, and we go at it. We try even harder the next time.”