On the morning of Saturday Nov. 6, sophomore Cece Harrison was sitting in a rocking chair in her family living room, playing with her dog, when she saw on WRAL the news that Joe Biden had officially won the presidential election.
“I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders,” Harrison said. “Like there was hope on the horizon.”
On Election Night, millions of Americans watched the news anxiously for incoming results from votes cast in all 50 states, and East students were no exception. What was initially a restless night became an uneasy three days, as the presidential race came down to tight margins in a few slow-counting states. Some students, like senior Lauren Davis, were disappointed by the long process.
“I was really just hoping and assuming that results would come out the night of, but given this year, of course, everything’s crazy,” Davis said.
Between Nov. 3 and the day the result was announced, there were mixed emotions among students in the multiple-day waiting period. Some, like conservative-leaning junior Gerui Zhang, were initially optimistic about President Donald Trump’s chances at re-election, after promising returns the first night, but gradually lost hope as the votes trickled in.
“On [November] third, I was like, ‘Let’s go, we’re coming in clutch in every state,’” Zhang said. “I was really excited about Florida. And then I woke up in the morning like, ‘Yo, okay.’”
Zhang is referring to the initial lead Trump seemed to take on Election Night in key states such as Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona, which was gradually curtailed over the next few days by Biden as votes in more urban counties and from absentee ballots were counted.
Like Zhang, Davis was also surprised by the route the election took.
“I definitely thought Trump would win, honestly,” Davis said. “I knew that most assumptions weren’t anywhere near right and I didn’t really trust the polls.”
On the other hand, some students hopeful about Biden’s chances said they were the most apprehensive on Election Night, but became less stressed over the next few days as results came back more in his favor.
“As the days got closer, I saw the results becoming more promising,” Harrison said. “On Fox News I noticed that they went from being like, ‘You know, all these votes – legitimate,’ to being like, ‘Democrat votes – fake, not good.’ As I sensed that rising panic and then the rising confidence of CNN, I could kind of gauge where it was going.”
While senior Meta Zhou also hoped Biden would win eventually, she was still worried about the tight margins of the remaining states’ vote counts. In crucial states such as Pennsylvania and Georgia, it was unclear whether there would be enough Democratic votes from mail-in ballots to overtake Trump’s initial leads.
“I was super stressed out during the election period; I kept obsessively checking different sites for their projections,” Zhou said. “I hoped Biden would win, but overall everything was too close for me to be confident in the results.”
For Riley Akos, a senior who voted for the first time, it also became more nerve-wracking further away from Election Day, as results were tallied.
“I slept very poorly,” Akos said. “I was exhausted from all the back and forth, but I couldn’t stop worrying about what might happen.”
The official call that Biden had clinched the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency came around 11 a.m. Saturday, with Pennsylvania bringing him to 273. Many students said they felt relief and excitement immediately upon hearing the news.
“I was so happy. The first thought I had was that I was so relieved. I was like, ‘Oh my god, everything’s going to go back to normal,’” CHHS senior Gordon Harwell said.
Harwell, who says he takes a more progressive stance than Biden does on many issues, also said he quickly sobered up to what it meant for the future and how change could be implemented. “Maybe a minute later, I was like, ‘I can’t think that, because then nothing will get done. So I have to keep my priorities the same.’”
For some students, the call for Biden signaled the end of a divisive era in American politics and the beginning of a more inclusive one where more people feel welcome.
“Biden’s victory depended heavily on BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) voters. It represents the power of these shifting demographics, and the embrace of a new definition for what it means to be an American,” junior Shiny Shen said. “Knowing this makes me feel safe—like I actually belong.”
The selection of Kamala Harris as the country’s first female, Black and Asian vice president is also noteworthy for many students, who see the milestone as a future precedent for increased inclusivity in a historically white- and male-dominated role.
“I want to work in politics when I’m older, so seeing a woman in a high office like the [Vice President] role makes me very hopeful about my future and that of my peers,” senior Evelyn Braker said. “Also, the fact that she is South Asian and Black definitely shows that the U.S. is, slowly but surely, changing for the better. Representation is such a great gift.”
Other students, like Davis, were happy to get Trump out of office but not necessarily thrilled about having Biden as the replacement.
“I wasn’t excited that Biden won because I don’t like Biden, as a person or a politician, but nor did I like Trump or nor did I want him to win,” Davis said. “I would say, of the two I think most people think that [Biden] was the lesser of two evils.”
Students have varying predictions on what a Biden presidency might entail. Some are optimistic he will enact more progressive policies on issues such as health care and climate change, while others think a likely-conservative Senate will handicap any real changes.
“A better environment is in reach, a better economy, and a healthier and more responsible nation in regards to [COVID-19],” said junior Meilin Weathington. “I’m excited for his term, but I also believe we should remember to hold him to the same standard as we have with past presidents. Progress still needs to be made.”
However, senior Luke Balagot said he wasn’t sure how Biden would “implement policy, without a majority in the senate and with a divided country.”
Similarly, Zhang said he thought Biden wouldn’t be able to do much with domestic policy, especially if Republicans were able to keep their majority in the Senate, but may be able to improve foreign policy, by rejoining international organizations such as the Paris Climate Accord, the World Trade Organization and World Health Organization.
“Internationally I feel like he’ll give us a better image, but I don’t think he’ll do much domestically, because he’ll just get that Obama treatment, and get blocked,” Zhang said.
Still, many Americans celebrated Biden’s win, including in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. On Nov. 7, the day his victory was announced, in major town centers, such as Franklin Street and Main Street, motorists waved Biden-Harris flags, held up handmade signs and honked their horns in celebration.
Harwell drove through Franklin Street on Saturday to see what was going on.
“Everybody was celebrating, so I turned on ‘FDT’ and I fist-bumped some guy. It was just really happy,” he said. “I feel like it was just kind of carelessly happy.”
While young people have mixed feelings about what this year’s election will entail for the future, many embrace the change, and at least for a moment, take a breath of fresh air.
“In 10 years, they’ll probably remember how close it was and how tense we all were watching it happen,” Akos said. “They’ll definitely remember the celebrations. I’ve never seen that before.”
Photo courtesy of Eliana Smerek
