EMMA PIRHALA / NEWS EDITOR

On Tuesday, the election swept the nation as citizens flocked to the polls to make their mark on the country’s political landscape. The showdown between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump captivated people across the globe as the fate of the highest office in the nation was determined. As of midnight on Nov. 5, the USD Vista’s production date, the election remained neck and neck as vote counts continued to be finalized. On and before Election Day, many USD students voted in a presidential election for the first time. 

USD first-year and Texas native Sienna Skinner cast a ballot in the presidential election for the first time via a mail-in ballot.

“It was a little nerve wracking to get my ballot because there was not a lot of communication in terms of when I submitted it and when I arrived in California,” Skinner shared. “So that part was not what I expected, I kind of thought it was gonna be a lot faster … Well, I did my part, I tried and I hadn’t gotten my ballot yet. Then I got it and I filled it out, and it was great.  I made sure to do my research with a lot of my state positions as well.”

Not only did USD students vote, but so did the presidential candidates. Both candidates offered some final remarks before the votes started coming in. 

Trump cast his vote in Palm Beach, Florida near his home at Mar-a-Lago. While at the polling center, a reporter asked Trump a few questions regarding abortion, which he refused to answer. Yet, the former president remained confident in his campaign and party. 

“It looks like Republicans have shown up in full force,” Trump said. “Regrets, you always have regrets. I can’t think of any to be honest … I ran a great campaign and it was maybe the best of the three … On the assumption I win, I don’t know if something else happens. I don’t know what’s going to happen in terms of declaring victory … I certainly don’t want any violence, but I certainly don’t have to tell these are great people. These are people who believe in no violence.”

Harris voted through a mail-in ballot in the state of California, so she was not publicly seen at a polling center. 

During Election Day, Harris spent time at a Democratic National Committee (DNC) call center to thank her volunteers. The night before the election at her rally in Allentown, she encouraged her supporters to vote.

“We all know that our power includes, yes, this vote in this election but building community and coalitions and reminding folks the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us,” Harris stated. “And we are all in this together … And from the very start of our campaign, this has not been about a fight that is against something.  This is about a fight that is for something … This is about a future with freedom and opportunity and dignity for all Americans.”

As votes are tallied across the country, tensions rise amongst citizens awaiting the results. In today’s highly politicized environment, some USD students fear the results of this crucial election. 

USD junior JD Mouri voted for the first time in a presidential election and expressed his concern for violence following the election. 

“I think there will probably be violence,” Mouri said. “Hopefully not, but it is a very politically charged environment, especially this round of the election.”

Following the 2020 election, Trump contested President Joe Biden’s win through a series of legal actions. On Jan. 6, 2021, the day in which Congress officially tallies the electoral votes, insurrectionists supporting Trump stormed the Capitol building to protest Biden’s win. Throughout this election cycle, Trump has been adamant about voter fraud. At a rally last weekend, Trump voiced his concerns about the Democratic Party allegedly rigging the election. 

“[The Democrats] are fighting so hard to steal this damn thing… Look at what’s going on in your state, every day they’re talking about extending hours; whoever heard of this stuff,” Trump said at the rally in Lititz, PA. “It’s a damn shame, and I’m the only one that talks about it because everyone’s afraid to damn talk about it, and then they accuse you of being a conspiracy theorist … The ones that should be locked up are the ones that cheat on these horrible elections that we go through in our country.”

The GOP, or Republican Party, has spearheaded more than 130 pre-election lawsuits to defend election integrity ahead of the election. However, some of these lawsuits have already been concluded with a Republican loss. In the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the GOP lost a case which would have ended a practice allowing voters to correct defects on mail-in ballots. Similarly, the Harris-Walz campaign also launched lawsuits, namely against Erie County, PA, which failed to send out their mail-in ballots in a timely manner. An unnamed Harris-Walz campaign official reported to Reuters that their team has preemptively prepared legal pleadings, in anticipation of court battles to certify the election. At a press conference on the Sunday prior to the election, Harris assured her supporters that the voting process is in fact safe and intact. 

“I would ask, in particular people who have not yet voted, to not fall for [Trump’s] tactics, which I think includes suggesting to people that if they vote, their vote won’t matter — suggesting to people that somehow the integrity of our voting system is not intact, so they don’t vote,” Harris stated. “We have and support free and fair elections in our country, we did in 2020. He lost and the systems that are in place for this election in 2024 have integrity. They are good systems and the vote of the people will determine the outcome of this election and everyone must know that their vote is their power to determine the outcome of the election.”

Although there is still uncertainty around  the results of the election, candidates and their respective parties work to protect the integrity of voting results as votes are certified. This process has been known to take as long as a month. Last election cycle, President Joe Biden was declared to have won the election four days after Election Day. However, with changes in voting procedures and increases in early voting, a winner could be predicted sooner rather than later. Yet, no matter when the results are announced, uncertainty regarding the transfer of power and the future of the country plague the minds of many. 

Students and San Diego residents waiting to vote at the Degheri Alumni Center. Photo courtesy of Emma-Kate Squires