Why the Closeness of the 2020 Election Matters

Originally published on HerCampus.com on November 5, 2020.

Four years ago, I was 17 years old, too young to vote, but nevertheless enthralled by the election coverage. I sat in my living room with my mom, dad, and younger sister as we watched the election results come in. We were all feeling hopeful about the outcome of the election. My hope and excitement soon turned into shock and heartbreak as the pivotal battleground states’ results came in. Trump won Arizona. Then Iowa. Michigan. Florida.

It soon became clear that Trump would become the 45th president of the United States and that our country would forever be changed. Even though my family and I were disappointed by the outcome, we held on to one piece of hope, that we would not feel this way in 2020. My sister and I would be old enough to vote along with the millions of other eligible Gen Z voters. We held on to that.

Although Biden is leading as of now, and odds are that he will win the election, the closeness of this election is truly disheartening. After four years under a president who has proven he is unfit for the position, whether it be by actively spreading lies and misinformation, withholding vital information about COVID-19 from the American people, or making xenophobic and racist remarks, you would assume that a large portion of the country would be ready for a new leader. However, that is not the case.

Even in California, a state that is so often considered to be a progressive bubble, the majority of residents voted against propositions like Proposition 16, that would repeal the diversity ban and allow for affirmative action and proposition 21 that protects renters from unjust rent increases. This is even more upsetting because we saw millions of people turn to Instagram, Twitter, and even in-person protests to voice their support of the Black Lives Matter movement, yet these propositions that would directly help these marginalized communities were not passed.

I feel confident saying that I do believe Biden will win the election, but I will never forget the amount of anxiety and disappointment this election has brought me and so many others. As a Latina, I am disappointed and embarrassed by the amount of support Trump received by Latinos, a group of people who have been mocked and negatively affected by the words and policies put in place by Trump. As a resident of California, I am disappointed by the lack of support for important and progressive propositions.

The closeness of this election reaffirms the fact that the system of white supremacy, because yes, this is what it comes down to, will prevail in this country whether or not Trump is in office. We are tired and we are disappointed. But, if there is one thing I do know it’s that regardless of who is in office, the fight to dismantle systemic racism and injustice in our country is a fight that requires unity, and we will not stop until we get there, no matter how long it takes.