Tuesday, November 8, 2016. Election Day. 7 PM. Seated in the Board of Trustee’s Room of Stockton University’s campus center, I am prepared for a long night ahead. I am one of many students here for the election results party. A livestream of CNN’s election coverage plays on a large projection screen. The size of the screen only emphasizes the magnitude of this election. For many of my peers, today marks our first time voting in a presidential election. The results that will roll in tonight have our influence attached to them. For the first time, we are not silent observers but rather active participants in deciding the next president of the United States.
In the weeks leading up to Election Day, Stockton has provided its students multiple opportunities to stay up-to-date with the election’s status. Every debate has been broadcasted in the Board of Trustee’s Room, the same room in which the results are being shown tonight. As someone who has attended every debate-watching party, I can conclude that tonight’s attendance trumps that of every other night. Early in the night, the room has the feel of a celebration. There is pizza, there is cake. All of the tables are filled and still more students file in. Regardless of who wins, tonight is the celebration of American democracy.
Analysts have predicted that this election will be called quickly. Earlier today, I had been casually scrolling through news headlines on my computer. One political analyst declared the election could be called as early as 9:05 PM. As the night goes on, the results begin to tell a different story. This election is going to be harder to call than many believed.
As midnight approaches, we remaining spectators are kicked out of the campus center and directed to F111. As a student of the Honors program, I find it all too appropriate to watch the election results in the same classroom in which we hosted a political debate only days earlier.
As 1 AM nears, CNN’s only breaking news is that the states that were too close to call an hour ago are still too close to call. However, shock is in the air. In Pennsylvania, Trump has just surpassed Clinton by a very narrow margin of votes.
At 1 AM, we are asked to leave. As we tiredly shuffle out of the room, we wish each other a good night, a safe trip home. Regardless of which candidate we support, we are all hanging on the results of this election. Now, we must return to our homes and our dorm rooms as the results continue to stream in. Though we all head in different directions, I’m sure we all contemplate the potential outcomes of this election and what they will mean for our America.