As we live through such unfamiliar times, our President-elect has surpassed yet another record: winning a single election more times than any other candidate! But seriously, now it’s official. Just kidding. It was official on November 7th, but now it’s certified by the one, the only, the useless Electoral College! I’m sure most of you have some idea of how the Electoral College system works. You may have watched as electors such as Hillary Clinton, Stacey Abrams, and Precious McKesson all cast their state’s/district’s electoral votes for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. I found these moments in which powerful women voted for our first female Vice President to be so representative of this election and the future of our country. Ultimately, I feel so lucky to witness Kamala Harris make history. In contrast, you may have watched the Texas electors cheer as they voted for lame duck Donald Trump. But no need to fear, Mike Pence is here! What I mean is that since Mike Pence, like all VPs, is the President of the Senate, on January 6th, he will be the one to read out the electoral votes and announce his own defeat. So, save the date!
But in true seriousness, this unique election exposed us to the Electoral College process more than in prior years. Interest in politics among youth is growing and I’m excited for it.
While many have recognized Joe Biden as the President-elect, some Republicans still refuse to do so. If this isn’t a perfect display of partisanship harming democracy, I don’t know what is. Although Joe Biden clearly won, Trump still tweets misinformation that undermines our democracy. But I honestly still wonder whether Trump actually believes that Democrats throughout the country magically changed votes from Trump to Biden, or if this is all for money. It’s definitely both, but lately it’s been hard to differentiate his stupidity from his greed. I may joke, but Trump’s power is no laughing matter. While his team casually relies on the good ol’ “2024” line in attempt to save Trump’s dignity, Trump’s policies (or lack thereof) have ruined lives, ripped families apart, and resulted in the deaths of thousands. I’m hopefully doubting a 2024 Trump nomination, but I wonder how a country can unite when some of its members are still in denial. I genuinely love America and see value in its potential, but I simply don’t want to unite with conspiracy theorists. Luckily, I’m not the President inheriting Donald Trump’s divided America. But, I trust Joe Biden and Kamala Harris with the future of our country and I’m confident that they will somehow unite us.