Voters held their breath as results came in at watch parties in Montreal and Burlington, VT.
Voters across the United States have elected Donald Trump as their 47th President. In a race initially too close to call, Democrats nervously awaited results both north and south of the border, their hopes falling as the night drew to a close.
The Concordian was present at Democratic watch parties in Montreal and Burlington, VT.
Voters lament Republican victories in Montreal
Emotions were high at the 300-person Democrats Abroad at McGill election watch party after U.S. presidential election polls closed at 7 p.m.
The room got quieter as the night continued. After The New York Times reported at 10 p.m. that there was an 80 per cent chance that Donald Trump would win the White House, voters headed to the exit as excited cheers turned into muted hugs of comfort.
At around 11 p.m., Democrats regained some ground by winning California’s 54 electoral college votes. The audience cheered as the result was broadcast over the venue’s screens.
Many swing state polls continued to be counted throughout the evening.
Seth Meisel, a voter from California and first-year student at McGill University, said that this election was “just too important” to watch from afar.
As we spoke with Meisel, the swing state of North Carolina had just started its count. The state was among the seven key swing states that could tilt the balance of the election.
“It’s kind of weird, but I’m feeling bullish [about] North Carolina,” Meisel said with optimism. “I mean, we’re probably not gonna know the results for a little while now – [gubernatorial Democratic nominee] Josh Stein winning North Carolina is a pretty good sign.”
North Carolina was called a victory for Donald Trump at 11:20 p.m. by several media outlets.
In Burlington, voters face high election stakes
The parking lot was packed as voters headed into the Vermont Democratic watch party in South Burlington.
Democratic Burlingtonians said that the election was a question of saving the country from the edge of political fragmentation. For Kennedy Connors, a public communications student at the University of Vermont, the threat of a divided country was on the line.
“I think that we’ve reached a place in our country where it’s so many people on the far-left and the far-right, and there isn’t any in-between,” Connors said. “So I honestly love that Kamala has reached out to people who are in the Republican Party because I think that those conversations need to happen.”
Harris’ coalition had grown to include a big tent of anti-Trump Republicans who pledged themselves to the Democratic nominee in the interests of stopping him, such as former Vice President Dick Cheney.
Moments before being confirmed for re-election in the Senate, Bernie Sanders addressed the crowd in a surprise appearance at around 9 p.m. The senator was greeted with cheers as he said that he could not “turn [his] back” during what he called a “terribly pivotal moment in American history.”
“All of you know that what is at stake is whether or not the foundations of American democracy remain intact,” Sanders said. “But whether [Harris] wins or not, our job is to bring people together around an agenda that works for all and not just the few.”
Emma Doucet is registered to vote in Vermont but is a sophomore student at Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Massachusetts. She drove over three hours to vote in her home state and attend the watch party.
“It’s one of the most important, if not the most important, elections of all of our lifetime,” Doucet said. “It’s been a long day, but it’s worth it.”
According to Doucet, it’s not only the election that sits on a knife’s edge but also the rights of many marginalized groups across the country.
“I’m disabled. I’m a young woman. All of those identities have so much to lose,” Doucet said. “If [Trump] ends up being able to appoint more judges [to the Supreme Court], then things such as gay marriage are at risk. And that’s really scary.”
Around 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 6, multiple media outlets called the election for Donald Trump.
The new Trump presidency will begin on Jan. 20, 2025.
