Patriotic music could be heard throughout the morning of Election Day at LBCC’s Liberal Arts Campus, as voters steadily came in and out of the voting site.
The morning was quiet, with no line forming besides a few people right as the polls opened.
First-time poll worker Kevin Cho said it was slower than expected, but he anticipated a rush during lunchtime. “I was expecting thousands of people just waiting, but it’s been busier than other days,” said Cho.
One voter, Maury Long, in her “Vote Donald Trump 2020” T-shirt and American flag mask, was turned away at the door and told she had to change before casting her vote.
“I respect everything, but I have the right to wear it because of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution protects me,” she said.
Campaign apparel is in fact prohibited at polling sites in California.
“I want to change exactly this. We have the right to say and show everything that we want to say, I have the right to wear this shirt, I have the right to have my signs,” said Long.
As for her support of President Trump, Long said she has been impressed with how hard he has worked, and “nobody appreciates that.”
“Everybody on both sides has good people, bad people, but he’s a very, very, very good person … He loves the nation, he’s for everybody. He protects his family, and at the same time, he’s protecting my family, my kids, the family for everybody.”
Long said that more people should be thankful to have a president that cares and wants to protect the country.
Regarding criticisms of the president’s response to the pandemic and perceptions that he is racist, Long said, “He has a good heart. The way he is with his family- he has a nice, beautiful family, and we should be more respect [sic]. That’s not the way to treat [him], that’s our president. We have to respect him if we want respect. He has a family who suffers a lot, the way they bully and say a lot of things, and I think people just talk badly because the way they see is very superficial, but they have to look more and respect. The country is first, and the president needs respect.”
Many voters on Tuesday said they appreciated the tradition of voting in-person on Election Day.
Lynette Powell, who came to LAC to vote with her son, Sherman, said, “I felt like the tradition to vote in person is very important, because my ancestors, African Americans, worked so hard to get the generation to get up and do this. I feel like when I’m voting in person, it’s straight from the heart, instead of a piece of paper, and I don’t trust the paper.”
Powell anticipated longer lines, so she brought a bag of snacks in preparation.
She said her biggest concern during this election was to eradicate and get a vaccine for COVID-19, and having a president who “[looks] out for our health and our safety.”
LBCC kinesiology instructor Tony Klune also anticipated longer lines, and due to COVID-19 did not come to the polls with his family as he normally does on Election Day.
“Since I was a little kid, I couldn’t wait till I was able to vote, and now I saw the initiative to allow 17-year olds. So I think it’s great, I think it’s something we should take a lot of pride in.”
His biggest concerns this election cycle are COVID-19 and providing healthcare to all Americans.
Several voters cited distrust of the mail-in system as a reason that led them to vote in-person, such as Romel Alberson.
“The last time I voted, I voted traditionally, and the mailing has been all messed up. I’ve lost stuff in the mail, so I’m not going to trust my vote to get in and get counted,” he said.
LBCC student Jasmine Cortes also said she had concerns about mailing in her ballot, and even considered not voting.
“I was torn at first, as if it was gonna matter, then I was like, well is it going to hurt? I can’t ask for change without participating.”
Cortes said she chose to vote at LAC as it was a relatively smaller polling site in comparison to others, making her feel safer amid the pandemic.
Voting stations were situated six feet apart, with tape indicating where voters should stand. Masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer was provided to those who needed it.
A couple of 50 years, Nancy and Terry Reffner showed up to the polls in matching American flag masks.
“We’re just old school, we believe in doing it in person and on Election Day. It’s tradition. I feel like it’s kind of the duty to do on Election Day,” said Nancy.
The couple expressed concerns about continuously rising property taxes.
“It goes up every year. We’re retired, on a fixed income … If it continues rapidly the way it is, I could see us leaving. It’s getting too hard to live in California for the cost of living, taxing us to death. And they will want more. We can only go so far as a taxpayer,” Nancy said.
The other main issue on the Reffners’ minds this election cycle was crime and increasing violence, they said.
“We’ve had presidents that we haven’t voted for, but we didn’t have unrest. I think everybody [is] expecting unrest this year no matter who wins, and that’s not right,” said Nancy.
“We’re a country that’s supposed to be together, yes we have differences, yes we have opinions, but we’re not supposed to be violent, that’s not our nature. Now people want to sway you, ‘you’ve got to believe my way.’ That’s not the way it’s supposed to be,” Terry said.
Voter Amy Nelson also said she was concerned about the division within the country.
“No matter what I voted for in there, I feel like it’s something that will benefit everybody as a whole, and I think that’s where we’re divided at the moment, and that’s the issue that bothers me the most. We’re not together right now. Hopefully, by the end of this, we’ll be more together,” she said.
“There are many things at stake, many political issues, social issues, cultural issues, so I thought it was important that I try my best to show my support for the candidate that I did, and help others make their own decisions by working as a poll worker,” said Cho.
Cho also said, “I thought it was very important that I give my input to the city and community in this important election, and I feel very proud that I did.”
Poll worker Kevin Kinnear said, “There have been unique people coming in from all walks of life, different ages, ethnicities, and cultures. Long Beach is one of the most diverse cities in the world, and they’re coming to vote.”