It’s standing room only where Florida Gulf Coast University’s Coalition of Black Organizational Leaders is hosting a results viewing party. Turnout is close to 100 students.
They’re watching CNN on big screens as Wolf Blitzer counts down to polls closing in states across the country…they joke about the dramatic countdowns as if it’s new year’s….They change the streaming video to ABC where an anchor talks about “deeply offensive” words spoken by one of the candidates…and that’s what’s had student Jalisha McKoy concerned.
“We’ve heard everything they’ve said and some of the foul things and they just keep getting a pass on this and they get more publicity and they get more followers and they get more support and it should be the complete opposite….so people see somebody on such a high pedestal doing such rebellious things and saying vulgar things and they feel like they can act and say things like that,” said McKoy. “Because they feel like it’s ok.”
McCoy says the negative political climate this year may be at least partially to blame for whomever felt emboldened to draw racist graffiti on campus in recent weeks, and she looks forward to the emotionally charged presidential race to be over. She’s rooting for Hillary Clinton, but worries that it’s just so close.
“Now that the day is finally here I’m very anxious, even looking at the TV screen and seeing the numbers and hearing how the public what side they fluctuate towards and just seeing those numbers just adds to my anxiety because it could go either way,” said McCoy.
In this room of 76 registered voters, 42 voted for the first time today.
Ronald Berrette is a freshman who said the emotional tenor of the election season is what motivated him to get to the polls.
“It’s really pressured me to go out and vote, like, I was never really- I’m not a political person, but I really felt like I had to get out there and vote…’because it was so….’ yeah. I felt like I had to play my role in it” said Berrette.
Music Education major Brandii Edwards said she wasn’t thrilled with either candidate, but she didn’t believe either one would be able to get much done in the next four years.
“It was I guess the lesser of two evils,” said Edwards.”That’s what everyone keeps saying, however the way I view it if either candidate wanted to do something that not necessarily everyone’s comfortable with, either way, things just won’t get done the next four years.”
Edwards said because of the unpopularity of both candidates, she doesn’t believe either one would be able to affect much change once in office. And while that’s not ideal, she feels it’s not the worst thing that could happen to a country that needs to regroup.