These are New York voters and these are their hopes and fears for the upcoming election. 

Barbara de Bellis

Barbara de Bellis stands in line waiting for early voting, October 24, 2020. Photo by Inga Parkel

Barabara de Bellis, a retired New York math teacher, and self-proclaimed liberal stood outside waiting at a Manhattan early polling place to cast her 13th presidential vote. De Bellis was part of the first group of 18-year-olds to vote in the 1972 presidential election following the ratification of the 26th Amendment which lowered the legal voting age from 21 to 18. She has voted in every election after, and has never felt an election has been more crucial than this one. 

“I’m gay, I’m a woman, I’m old. But we need to protect everybody, absolutely everybody, people of color, genderqueer, everybody. My father was Italian and grew up under Mussolini and I see everything happening again.”

John McGuigan

John McGuigan, a President Trump supporter stands in a “Gays For Trump” shirt at a Trump gathering at Herald Square, October 24, 2020. Photo by Inga Parkel

John McGuigan, a tall man with a confident, yet peppy gait walked around interacting happily with other Trump supporters. He wore mascara and had a huge grin on his face as if relieved and somewhat excited to be surrounded by other people who shared the same sentiments of confirmation and proudness of the current president. 

“God, I hope Trump gets elected because our economy was booming and he’s going to be able to come up with this vaccine to battle this damn China virus. My hope is that we won’t have to wear masks much longer, that we won’t have to keep a social distance, and that we don’t turn into a socialist country, which is what the Democrats want and what Biden is aiming for. I don’t want to live in a socialist country. I want freedom.”

La’nette Murphy

La’nette Murphy stands holding a sign outside early polling place waiting to vote, October 24, 2020. Photo by Inga Parkel

La’nette Murphy chose to stand in a line that wrapped around a few blocks waiting to vote early because she feared someone might throw away her ballot. 

“I hope that it’s fair, and I hope that every vote is counted, and I hope that Donald Trump gets out of office, that’s my hope. My fear is that he will use the Supreme Court to try to overturn the election, or he will try to say that it wasn’t fair, or those absentee ballots.”

Justin Piper

Justin Piper stands waving two flags at a Trump gathering at Herald Garden, October 24, 2020. Photo by Inga Parkel

Justin Piper stood in Herald Square proudly waving two flags in support of Trump. As a gun owner, he feels the right to bear arms is in danger if Biden and Harris win the election. He received a lot of backlash from onlookers for being a black man in support of Trump, but he responded that he believes the current administration has done the most for the black community. 

“My greatest hope for the future election is that our President Donald J. Trump does win, and not only that, that he will continue to fulfill his promises that he’s been making for all people. My greatest fear is that, shall our president lose, which is my biggest hope he doesn’t, a lot of the freedoms that we have our Second Amendment rights, our freedom of religion, our freedom of expression would be lost.”

Penelope Miller

Penelope Miller, a sports photojournalist, stands wearing a “vote” face mask at Washington Square Park, October 24, 2020. Photo by Inga Parkel

Penelope Miller stood in Washington Square Park with an “I voted early” sticker on the collar of her jacket and a “Vote” facemask. As a female sports photojournalist in a male-dominated field, Penelope Miller is not new to the effects of a system that doesn’t work for women. She feels the only way to make her voice heard is by voting. 

“I feel like the very foundation of the rule of law is threatened. There is only one solution to that and that is voting, and voting Donald Trump out of office. [My fear is] That Donald Trump will be re-elected, that minorities will continue to see their rights diminished, that women will continue to be robbed of the rights to their own bodies. It’s a zero-sum game at this point. The American public wins or it loses and there’s only one way it wins and that’s by voting Donald Trump out of office.”

Juliet Germanotta

Juliet Germanotta stands with a “white power” hand sign, October 24, 2020. Photo by Inga Parkel

Juliet Germanotta walked past the line of early voters at Madison Square Garden on her way to a Trump gathering unmasked and wearing a Trump 2020 shirt. As a Democrat socialist turned proud Republican, Germanotta feels Trump has done a great job in raising the economy and worries that a Biden administration would tear apart the progress. She proudly held up a “white power” hand sign for the photo as people in line yelled at her for not wearing a face mask. 

“Hopefully, we vote red across the board because as a democrat socialist myself, I’m tired of what the Democrats been doing to our country and it took Trump…to open me up to what’s really going on. My great grandparents came here from a communist country and I’ve heard stories about that my whole life and I fear that that’s what’s going to happen under the Biden administration.”

Mark Leydorf and Elissa Stein

Mark Leydorf and Elissa Stein part of Sing Out, Louise!, a resistance “queertet” choir, stand together in Washington Square Park, October 17, 2020. Photo by Inga Parkel

Mark Leydorf and Elissa Stein, members of a “queertet” known as Sing Out, Liouise! Stood stood in front of the fountain in Washington Square Park wearing accented pink pins and sashes urging people to vote. They sang parodied lyrics to Christmas tunes about their anger with the current presidential administration and how important it is to vote them out. 

Stein:

“We hope that everybody goes out and votes. Because our voting is our voices, and if we all get up and speak up and stand up and shout back we will win. When the Democrats are in charge, it doesn’t mean everything will be magically better and go away.”

Leydorf:

“My fear is that people don’t recognize the moment the country is in and they’ll sit this one out or they’ll think, you know, Biden isn’t good enough…because we’ve done that before in our history. But never before have the stakes been so high.

Robert Burck

Robert Burck, “The Naked Cowboy,” stands flexing his arms, October 24, 2020. Photo by Inga Parkel

Robert Burck, notably known as, The Naked Cowboy, traded the old stickers on his guitar for ones that showed his support for Trump. Burck has not strayed from his political upbringing where he was raised in a red state and his veteran father acted as the chair of a Republican Party.

“Trump’s going to win by a landslide, over 25% of the black vote for the first time in Republican history. America’s going to continue to move on, the stock market’s going to grow, the economy’s going to grow, we’re going to continue to keep the regulations down, we’re going to take care of China. And we’re not going to have a completely corrupt politician like Joe Biden, just like Obama, and the rest of them they’re not going to be in charge anymore. Trump’s an American and takes care of America. It’s going to be amazing.”

Josephine Son

Josephine Son stands outside waiting for early voting at Madison Square Garden, October 24, 2020. Photo by Inga Parkel

Josephine Son, a volunteer for The Bowery Mission, an organization that serves the homeless and hungry saw the number of people who came for lunch nearly double since the beginning of the pandemic. Her philosophy is to do what you can, and voting in this election is part of the way she can do. 

“[I hope] To move forward as a country and just be better. I’m hopeful for the first time in a very long time. I’m actually not afraid of the racists, I’m afraid of the people who are too scared or apathetic to do something. My greatest fear is that those people remain apathetic or remain scared. And that’s what’s going to bring our country down, inaction.”

Hedy Aldina 

Hedy Aldina, stands in Trump attire at a Trump gathering at Herald Square, October 24, 2020. Photo by Inga Parkel

Hedy Aldina eagerly shared her support for Trump with a little bejeweled gun ring on her finger, an American flag scarf wrapped around her shoulders, pins and stickers with “Blue Lives Matter,” and a “Make America Great Again” hat. 

“Trump wins, that’s my greatest hope. That’s my only wish. I say my prayers like I’ve never said them before. I know legitimately that he will win the race. [My fear is] That the Democrats have some tricks up their sleeve and they’re ready to commit a lot of fraud to get Biden in…It’s either socialism and communism or Trump 2020.”

Amanda M Rodriguez

Amanda M Rodriguez stands outside waiting to vote early at Madison Square Garden, October 24, 2020. Photo by Inga Parkel

Amanda M Rodriguez stood in line at Madison Square Garden’s early polling place to cast her ballot. She believes that her right to vote, although won’t benefit her directly, will benefit those around her and she feels that’s enough. Her 77-year-old neighbor, a retired garment industry worker, receives a small social security check and medicare each month, but that doesn’t nearly cover enough of her needs. Rodriguez questions how America can be considered the greatest country when it doesn’t properly support its citizens. 

“In this country what I hope for will never benefit me, what I vote for, when I cast a ballot, none of that will ever happen for me. So when I vote, I do it for my nephews, my nieces, my 77-year-old neighbor who relies on Medicare. I fear for the same people that I’m voting for today. I fear for them. I fear for all those hard-working Americans.”

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In an emergency virtual town hall meeting called by the New York City Public Advocate on yesterday, a panel of speakers acknowledged the recent glitches and addressed questions and worries while still putting forth the important message to vote. 

“It’s really frustrating and unfortunate that there have been some problems with absentee ballots in Brooklyn,” said Susan Lerner, the executive director of Common Cause New York. “The good news is it’s just barely the beginning of October. There is time to fix mistakes.”

Absentee ballots just went out in the mail last week and the problems quickly began.

“I received a ballot package that was addressed to me, but the official ballot envelope that the absentee ballot has to go into before being placed in the return envelope had the name, address, and voter ID of a different person,” Jamal Harley, a Brooklyn resident, said

Harley was told he was going to receive a corrected ballot within the next week or so.

“The employee I spoke with said they made that decision yesterday, so it seemed they were getting through the calls quickly,” said Harley. 

In addition to issues with incorrect personal information, some voters expressed confusion after receiving ballots labeled “military” and no return postage. 

“All absentee ballots say ‘absentee military ballot,’ said Lerner. “In previous years, they’ve said absentee slash military ballot, which means absentee or military ballot. There’s a typo. They left off the slash. It’s the same ballot. There’s no difference between a military ballot and an absentee ballot.” 

Lerner reminded that those affected by financial hardships have the option to hand-deliver their ballot to the Board of Elections, any early voting location in the city, or any election day polling place. 

Zoom hall meeting hosted by the
New York City Public Advocate including panelists who addressed concerns about the recent errors on absentee ballots. Screenshot by Inga Parkel

Amy Torres, the Director of Policy and Advocacy for the Chinese-American Planning Council made clear in order to relieve any hesitation, that once ballots are received they will be secured

“Once they get in, there are mechanisms in place to make sure that they’re secure, to make sure that you’re able to track your vote, and have real faith and confidence restored in our democratic system,” said Torres. 

Torres also recommended that voters have a fallback plan in case the original is foiled.

“Here in New York State where we have three different ways to cast your ballot this year, it’s really important to come up with those contingency plans,” said Torres. 

While mail-in ballots are seen as a safer and more convenient option than going to a physical polling place, each panelist still advocated for early in-person voting. 

“What we’re recommending, if you can, vote early. Please do so in the days that we have before,” said Jumaane Williams, the New York City Political Advocate. “We know that systems are going to be overwhelmed, and we want to prevent that, so if you can vote early that helps the system from being overwhelmed.”

Each panelist drove home the importance of voting. 

“Vote like your life depends on it,” said Stefani Zinerman the Civic Engagement Chair of the Brooklyn NAACP. “Because it does.”

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“Is it terrible that I felt a little happy? I mean, I know that’s not a very nice thing to say, but given how belligerent Trump has been about downplaying the seriousness of Covid-19, I feel like this is divine irony,” Sara Ahmed, of Houston, Texas said. “ If it were anyone else, I would be hopeful that this experience would change the way he governs during the pandemic, but knowing Trump’s record, I can’t be optimistic that he will learn anything from it.” 

In Portland, Oregon, Victoria Alexandra, a Trump supporter, disagreed and said that she only wishes that the president takes the time to rest while he quarantines for 14 days. 

“I believe this will be a time of mental clarity and insight for Trump in the midst of mocking, finger pointing, and torment,” Alexandra said. “ This is not the time to come under fear, but to be positioned, sober-minded and ready to watch and see how God will reveal himself to America. Join me as we pray for our president’s wellbeing.” 

Hours before Trump annuonced his diagnosis, he traveled to a fundraiser he held at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Elizabeth Meyer, a Democrat, said she and her daughters watched Marine One, the helicopter that carries the president fly over her  house in Branchburg, New Jersey en route to Bedminster. This morning, she said , that event took on a different perspective for her. 

“Learning that the president knew he was exposed, and yet, was flying to a fundraiser, consciously putting his supporters, staff and reporters at risk is indicative of his apathy, placement of profit over people and his intentional ignorance towards COVID-19,” Meyer said. “This is another distressing twist in the run up to an already tumultuous and unprecedented election day.”  

According to The New York Times, Trump has repeatedly downplayed the risk of the virus and behaved in ways that public health experts have said risked spreading the virus. He has refused to wear a mask in public and questioned its effectiveness. He has held crowded rallies where attendees did not wear masks. 

Initially, Democratic Mayor Mohamed Khairullah of Prospect Park, New Jersey  said he didn’t believe that President Trump contracted COVID. It was only after he went to his twitter account  that he was able to confirm it was true. 

“In my opinion, the president has never taken the virus seriously,” Khairullah said. “ He thought he was immune to the virus since he was constantly accompanied by staff that made sure his surroundings were safe and sanitary.”  

Dylan Ward, a student at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, fears that the country will  go into chaos if Trump dies. 

“We are already divided as a nation at this time,” Ward said. “The passing of Trump will only widen it and lead to civil unrest.” 

Eight out of every 10 deaths attributed to the virus in the United States have been among those   65 and older. This puts President Trump, who is 74, at a high risk.

Khairullah hopes that President Trump will now set a better example for fellow Americans who haven’t done so yet, to take the virus more seriously.

“I urge everyone to be careful and follow proper precautions to slow the spread of the virus,” Khairullah said.“If you feel that the virus won’t harm you, think about a loved one that you might transmit the virus to–that you might lose– if they catch the invisible enemy.” 

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The 90-minute debate, now dubbed by millions of news consumers across the nation as the worst of its kind in American history, is receiving unprecedented press coverage for unprecedented reasons, but the question of whether the outcome of the debate swayed voters across the country remains. 

Residents of Michigan, a major swing state, had a few thoughts on the debate, the candidates and the upcoming election.

Butch Johnson, a mechanic shop owner in Grand Rapids, Michigan and a Trump supporter said that he was not swayed by the outcome of the debate. He maintained that he would still vote for Trump, his candidate of choice.

“I would choose Trump for sure,” said Johnson. “You always go with the current president. They usually know what’s best.”

Although Trump may have a solid Republican following, election results are often unpredictable and even the strongest Trump supporters know that. 

According to a recent poll carried out by the Morning Consult,  voters beleive that Biden performed  better than Trump, by 50% to 34%.

Biden supporters in Michigan took to Twitter to denounce Trump and highlight problematic aspects of his behavior during the debate.

Nothing has changed. We still have over 207,000 people dead of coronavirus. We still have a president that locks children in cages, guilty of tax evasion. One that called our military “losers and Suckers. The same President that told Proud Boys, a hate group to “Stand By”.

— Sherrie (@kitnlov1) October 2, 2020

The debate, which initially began with subtle passive aggressive comments, swiftly devolved into direct insults and personal attacks, with Trump interrupting Biden at least 128 times. This was much more than he interrupted Hilary Clinton in the first  2016 debate. 

“It would be hard not to interrupt someone when they are saying negative things about you,” said Johnson. “If you know the truth, you’ll try to defend yourself.”

According to fact-checkers at news outlets, Trump was caught in numerous peppered lies during the raucous debate.

Despite the chaos of the debate, Michiganders seemed to concede, based on recent post-debate poll reports, carried out by Public Policy Polling, that Biden had a lead over Trump.

In recent politically polarized times, when members of the left and the right don’t seem to agree on anything, just about anyone who rendered their opinion agreed that the debate was an unparalleled disaster.

Mike Hanrahan, a Michigan resident said he was disappointed that there were not more questions or answers directed at policy. 

“Although I understand the moderator’s questions and the need to ask specific questions about our current environment, it would have helped to hear responses directed at where our country is headed over the next four years and how the respective candidates would use their policies to guide our nation,” said Hanrahan.

Chris Wallace of Fox News , the debate moderator, failed at attempts to maintain the decorum of the debate. Trump continued to interrupt both he and Biden multiple times, and then made  snide remarks under his breath.

Biden’s acrid dislike for Trump came to a heightened climax when he made the now famous “Will you shut up, man?” demand of Trump.

“I think it was just disrespectful,” said Johnson. “I don’t think it was appropriate. That’s not how you treat the president of the United States.”

Although some Michiganders were unimpressed with Biden’s remark, he received support from others.

While Trump made last night’s debate about himself, @JoeBiden looked directly in the camera and spoke to the American people.

It’s made a difference with Michigan voters like Katey Morse, who regrets voting for Trump in 2016. https://t.co/hrc82dgIgr

— Michigan Democrats (@MichiganDems) September 30, 2020

Biden is set to visit Grand Rapids, Michigan on October 2. His strategy, which is to win over Republican heavy areas for the election, could significantly influence the outcome of his voter results.

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Former Vice President Joe Biden’s history of nuzzling, long hugs, forehead kisses, and lingering shoulder touches has some younger Democratic voters, especially women, turned off.

“I don’t think anyone in our generation is pumped up about a Joe Biden prospect,” said Sarah Zimmerman, 25. “And I kind of think that our generation is going to be pushing this entire election, so that’s kind of what matters.”

On March 29th, former Nevada politician Lucy Flores wrote a post for The Cut outlining an uncomfortable encounter she had with then Vice President Joe Biden in 2014. In the article she describes him putting his hands on her shoulders, leaning in and breathing deeply into her hair. Since then, more photos and experiences from other women have come to the forefront of the news.

For these millennials, Biden’s affectionate ways sparks a larger conversation about boundaries and sexual harassment.

“I’m actually really glad that people are starting to talk about it, because pretty much, last year, or awhile ago, I saw a compilation of how he always did weird stuff like that, but no one really talked about it,” said Monmouth University student Nick Coscarelli.

Flores was clear in her initial post that she did not feel assaulted, but the intrusion on her personal space had felt professionally disrespectful and inappropriate.

“She had not read it in a sexual way, but it still was very clearly ‘gendered creepiness,’ that violated her personal boundaries,” said Meredith Bradfield, a graduate student at Simmons University.

While Flores and other women have been clear, the public reaction and dialogue surrounding the initial post followed a familiar paradigm.

“I don’t like the way that it’s formulated,” said Zimmerman. “Because of #MeToo and because of the pattern we’ve created, we’ve kind of set it up so that women have to come out with ‘accusations’ and then other women have to follow. But it’s just kind of strange in this case because we all know that Joe Biden does that, we can literally see hundreds of videos of him doing exactly what she says.”

Flores’ experience triggered an onslaught of harsh criticism of the former Vice President, as people dug into videos and images of his over 40 years of public life. But, a more nuanced conversation about personal limits has grown from the knee-jerk reaction that initially concerned publicist Samantha Simon.

“A part of me, because I work in entertainment, a part of me was so nervous that this would go the route of Aziz Ansari,” Simon said. “Where he did something really inappropriate, but in the grand scheme of things, I don’t know if it was as inappropriate as what other people have done, for example Harvey Weinstein, and he just got ridiculed in a way that I think was kind of unfair.”

Biden, the front runner in the Democratic Primary, despite not having he is running president, responded with a written statement last Sunday and followed up with a video released on Twitter.

Social norms are changing. I understand that, and I’ve heard what these women are saying. Politics to me has always been about making connections, but I will be more mindful about respecting personal space in the future. That’s my responsibility and I will meet it. pic.twitter.com/Ya2mf5ODts

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) April 3, 2019

Coscarelli and others, including #MeToo founder Taran Burke, said Biden misunderstood the criticism and is squandering an opportunity to listen and learn.

“I think he is very out of touch with where we are moving and he’s also just very insensitive to what he thinks is the problem,” Coscarelli said. “I guess he’s taking it as, I guess, all of a sudden people have changed what is okay and what is not. But that’s not the case. We have always known where the boundaries should be drawn, but people have always overstepped them and there has been no consequence to it.”

At the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers conference last Friday, Biden joked about the controversy. Multiple times during the event he flippantly remarked that he had “permission” to touch those he was hugging. Despite also apologizing to the assembled crowd, even some older Democrats, were underwhelmed by his handling of the situation.

“I think that he should have owned up to it and apologized right away,” said D’Anne Avotins, who is a parent of a young millennial. “He was silent for too long and then he made that joke on stage the other day, which I don’t think was considerate to the people who came forward.”

Coscarelli doesn’t feel Biden understands that his actions were wrong.

Many feel that this is another example of Biden being dismissive of a woman’s experience.

“It’s also all hanging under a lot of other things like the Anita Hill hearings, that he just really needs to answer for,” said Zimmerman. “It’s just like one of many things.”

“I am personally very nervous about the fact that he’s been leading in the polls, in part because of something I think people haven’t really been talking about enough,” said Bradfield. “The fact that during the Anita Hill trial, with the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, I seem to remember Biden had not been supportive of Anita Hill at that time. Just kind of thinking about that, in conversation with the lack of respect around boundaries– it might not be at a Kavanaugh level, but it’s still icky.”

With so many questions to answer, without having even announced an exploratory committee, some are looking to other options in the democratic primary.

“There are so many other people on the democratic ticket that come from diverse backgrounds– that are women and that are people of color– and I am just having a hard time being excited about another old white guy on the ticket,” Bradfield said.

While Biden’s conduct has been deemed by many to be distasteful and enthusiasm is not on his side, it doesn’t necessarily mean he cannot run for president. Avotins thinks he could easily backtrack and apologize in a more sensitive way.

If Biden does decide to run for president, he would be squaring up against Trump, who has a long history of sexual harassment allegations.

“You know what’s weird is that we have a president now who obviously said some incredibly inappropriate things right before he got elected, so in my mind maybe it’s not as big of a deal,” Simon said. “That being said, he’s catering to an audience that values things differently. So it sort of seems like it is going to be a way bigger road block than it ever would have been for Trump.”

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Beneath a banner reading “Our Great Eight Candidates” Martha Johnson, 73, was working for every vote. Despite heavy rain in the area, she still showed up at the Democratic field office in Brunswick, Georgia to phone bank for Stacey Abrams, the first African American female candidate for governor and other local candidates. She did not break focus from the job at hand.

“I’m making phone calls,” Johnson said. “This is the ground plan, make contact with everybody and encourage early voting, absentee voting and give them deadline dates.”

Johnson’s prior involvement in the campaign efforts were through social media, but she recently made the commitment to phone bank at the field office because she was incensed by the Republican candidate for governor and current Georgia Secretary of State, Brian Kemp’s alleged attempts to suppress Democratic votes.

“I’m really into Stacey,” she said. “For more reasons than one. Mainly because Kemp’s attempt at voter suppression kind of ignited a fight in me. So I’m fighting.”

In recent weeks, national attention focused on the governor’s race in Georgia because a controversial, “exact match” law that passed a year ago has 53,000 voters’ registration status on hold. In what appears to be a major conflict of interest,  Kemp is responsible for state elections and voter registration records as Georgia’s Secretary of State, while he is actively campaigning to be governor.

Abrams has made encouraging voting a priority throughout her career, but has ramped up get out the vote efforts following Kemp’s acknowledgement he is concerned about voter turnout on the democratic side.

Abrams appeared alongside Common and  cicil rights icon Andrew Young to express the importance of voting, especially in this election. Photo by Emma Bolton.

At a recent ‘Souls to the Polls’ rally in Midtown Atlanta, Abrams brought civil rights icon, former UN ambassador, former Atlanta Mayor and former congressman,  Andrew Young, as well as actor and rapper, Common to rally and march to a local polling place, highlighting the importance of voting.

“We have to vote,” Abrams said. “And we know voting works, because if it didn’t work they wouldn’t be working so hard to make sure we couldn’t cast a ballot. In fact, my opponent said this week, he said ‘well look, I’m very concerned if everyone who is eligible to vote cast a ballot she might win.’ Let’s prove him right.”

In South Georgia, the Glynn County Democratic Party Co-Chair, Audrey Gibbons said that getting every potential voter in her area to the polls was crucial to Abrams’ strategy for winning state wide.

“We know we’ve got to turn out the vote for Stacey Abrams to win,” Gibbons said. “And I mean turn out the vote. In District 5 alone in Glynn County we have 14,000 registered voters. That’s enough to turn Glynn County blue.”

Similarly in North Georgia, the Lumpkin County Democratic Party Chair, Ken Akin encouraged volunteers to keep organizing by touting how successful they had already been in increasing voter turnout in the area.

“Every day since we started early voting we have had over a 300% increase over 2014,” he said. “I think we are going to be proud of the results that we are going to see on Election Day. It’s getting purple.”

In Northern Georgia, the Lumpkin County Democratic Party held a get out the vote rally in tandem with the Democratic National Committee and the Georgia Democratic Party. They marched from the town square in Dahlonega to a local polling station to campaign for Stacey Abrams and other local candidates. Photo by Maggie Garred.

Chairman of the Georgia Democratic Party, Dubose Porter attended the rally on Saturday with the Lumpkin County Democratic Party and representatives from the Democratic National Committee in Dahlonega to inform voters about early voting opportunities. It was one of many get out the vote events happening simultaneously across the state.

“We are everywhere, especially today,” Porter said. “There are 80 launch sites for canvassers, so we’re in neighborhoods, just all over the state to remind people what’s at stake this election and now is the time to go vote. There is Saturday voting all over the state today, so we thought we would take today fan out all over the state.”

Porter stressed that the stakes in the election were extremely high. He pointed to Abrams commitment to expanding Medicaid, investing in public education and pushing for diversity as reasons she needed to be elected.

“Are we going to help and lift up everybody or continue to just help a few?” he asked. “That’s what’s at stake. How we change that is, go vote and take somebody with you. And do it today on Saturday and take another crew on Monday and go every day next week ‘til Friday, until we’ve run out of people by November the 6th.”

Although voter purges and exact match laws threaten Abrams’ strategy to win by encouraging historically non-voting populations to vote, Glynn County school board candidate, Regina Johnson, was optimistic that efforts to expand the Democratic voter pool could still turn the state of Georgia blue.

Johnson said Abrams had come to Brunswick’s First African Baptist Church to speak with the community about being civically engaged and educated about issues on the ballot three years prior to running for governor. She saw that long term investment from Abrams as an asset for local candidates and volunteers as they work to get out the vote in 2018 Midterms.

The Democratic Field Office in Glynn County is right in front of First African Baptist Church, where Stacey Abrams spoke to congregants three years ago about the importance of being civically engaged. Photo by Emma Bolton.

“Stacey Abrams came to our church and began a conversation about educating our voters in our community,” Johnson said. “What began three years ago as a conversation is now really in force today.”

Martha Johnson was optimistic that people had responded well to Abrams’ message and had taken the time to vote early after a few hours of making calls to Glynn County constituents.

“This morning, luckily, most have voted,” she said. “So that’s good.”

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More Muslim candidates than ever before are running for public office. Last time there was this many was after 9/11.

“We are all one people, white, black, Muslim or Christian doesn’t matter,” said Shahab Mohammad, a pharmacist in Jackson Heights, Queens. “Yes, I am a Muslim and people hate me for being that, but I am so much more.”

President Trump’s time in office has seen him push for a travel ban aimed primarily at Muslim countries. His rhetoric has ushered in a swell of Islamophobia not seen since the 9/11 attacks. In response to Trump’s tactics to ostracize Islam and the Muslim community, Muslim candidates have come out in force, though heavy underdogs in some races, to run for public office.

Members of the Muslim community said they happy to have the representation of people that look like them in government and just want to be included in the American society.

Mohammad wants people all across the country to know that he is not a terror to his community because of his religion. He came to the US from Bangladesh in 1977 and has since worked and opened up his own pharmacy. He has given jobs to people in his Jackson Heights community.

“After 9/11, although I’m a pharmacist some people call me a terrorist. They called me this a few times,” said Mohammad. “I’ve been serving this community almost 25 years. The Bangladesh government paid for my education, but I have lived and work in this country, trying to make people live comfortable.”

Shahab Mohammad has owned his pharmacy for the past 25 years in Jackson Heights and wants to be look at as a hard working American instead of a terrorist. Photo by Levar Alonzo

According to a 2017 data research done by the Pew Research Center,  despite the concerns and perceived challenges Muslims faced, 89% of them said they are both proud to be American and proud to be Muslim.

“America is the land of the free and home of the brave, it is where everyone comes to live together and just be one,” said Abdul Raquq, the janitor at the Masjid AL Tawfiq.

The research also said that eight-in-ten Muslims said they are satisfied with the way things are going in their lives. And a large majority of U.S. Muslims continue to profess faith in the American dream, with 70% saying that most people who want to get ahead can make it in America if they are willing to work hard.

“This is a country where despite what might be going on in the political world, you can make something of yourself,” said Raquq. “ The American dream is real, forget Trump, he can say what he wants but he not stopping a Muslim. Hard work can get you anything you want.”

Energized by the anti-Muslim rhetoric of Trump and his supporters, as many as 90 Muslims have run for national or statewide offices in this election cycle.

The rise of the first two Muslim women, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib, poised to be elected to the US House of Congress is a direct outcry for Muslim representation in government.

“It means a lot to me, but I think more importantly to the Muslim generation growing up to see these women in positions of power,” said Sara El Shrief, 31, a talent acquisitions manager. “I feel like America has evolved over the years and it’s not unusual to see someone with a headscarf in advert.”

Rashida Tlaib is running in Michigan’s 13th Congressional District spanning parts of the Detroit and its suburban area. Her race to replace former Democratic representative John Conyers is guaranteed as she is running unopposed.

According to ABC News Tlaib said that she is running to make sure her sons stay true to their Islamic identity.

“I didn’t run because my election would be historic,” she said. “I ran because of injustices and because of my boys, who are questioning their identity and whether they belong.”

Ilhan Omar is running in Minnesota’s fifth congressional district, a seat that was previously held by Keith Ellison, the first Muslim man in Congress.

Two years ago the Minnesota Democrat became the first Somali-American elected to a state legislature. Now she’s likely to be one of two Muslim women elected to Congress.

“Growing up, we barely had any Muslim representation whether in office or in the media,” said El Sherif. “Whenever any of us see that happen we’re super excited and it makes us feel like we’re as American as everyone else instead of feeling like outsiders in our own country.”  

Resident scholar at New York University, Shiek Suhaib Webb, said that Muslims are not foolish to how power in America works. He has seen that more and more Muslims are feeling empowered to go out and change their neighborhoods. This change is not just for Muslims only, but for the greater community. He said Trump’s rhetoric of hate and fear does not phase them.

“We fear nothing but Allah,” he said. “We are not a community that believes in complaining. We believe in changing things. Muslims are getting busy.”

Aziz Giroud who works in outreach at the Islamic Center of New York University moved to America from Libya three years ago wants to see more Muslim representation in government. Photo by Levar Alonzo.

With just a few days left before the final votes are tallied Aziz Giroud wants Muslims to continue the trend of fighting for public office and seeking representation.

“For too long we have felt like our voices weren’t important,” she said. “But if you start the habit of speaking up like we are now then it would pass down to other generations to start a real change in the way this country thinks of us.”

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“I’m very anxious and excited,” said Risa Levine, 52. “I even brought champagne to celebrate the announcement.”

Levine wore not only a pink t-shirt with Clinton’s likeness, but her jean jacket was sprinkled with Hillary buttons reading slogans like, “I’m a woman for Hillary” and “Hillary sent me”.

Levine of Manhattan was one of three supporters who stood patiently and excitedly snapping selfies. She was joined by Tim Dangora, 36, also of Manhattan. A tall man donning a Hillary baseball cap and patriotically colored, “Hillary for president” t-shirt he had just one simple statement to make.

“America deserves Hillary,” said Dangora.

According to a March 29th Pew Research Center Poll 59 percent of democrats say there is a “good chance” they will vote for Clinton.

While the Clinton opponents were not physically present, their message could be seen hung from stop lights and pasted randomly to public surfaces. An unknown group or individual placed anti-Clinton posters in the area surrounding One Pierrepoint Plaza early Sunday morning. The design included an unflattering greyscale portrait of Clinton surrounded by phrases such as “Don’t Say Entitled” “Don’t Say Secretive” and “Don’t Say Polarizing”.

Despite her star power Clinton remains a polarizing and sometimes controversial candidate and has been on the receiving end of criticism from politicians and citizens. Republicans were quick to lambaste Clinton after her official announcement calling her untrustworthy.

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