BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – It has been a long road to get to Election Day and all eyes are on the race for president. WCAX News has been talking with voters about how they are feeling. It seems like there is a common theme: many voters are anxiety-ridden and nervous about what Tuesday and the subsequent days could bring in an extremely tight presidential race.
“Everything’s really close right now, with a lot of the polls, it’s hard to know how to feel. I guess I’ll feel better when it’s over. Maybe,” said Eddie McDonough of St. Albans.
National polls are signaling that the race could be extremely close, making some voters in Burlington uneasy.
“I’m feeling somewhat anxious or apprehensive about the possible results. It’s rather distressing to me to know that at this point in the 21st century, given all that humans have access to in terms of information and knowledge, that the race is actually coming down to being this close or potentially contested,” said Christopher Pepperman of Burlington.
Dan Raderman, a visitor from Portland, Oregon, said he isn’t that worried and is more of a third-party voter.
“Realistically, I don’t think that much is going to change either way, before or after. Personally, like I voted for Jill Stein because I hope that we get at least 5% of the vote and she gets some federal funding, maybe dismantle this sort of two-party system we’ve been working with that doesn’t seem to be working out for much of anyone,” Raderman said.
Voters we spoke to stressed the importance of voting on Election Day.
“I’m exhausted. I’m ready for it to be over. And I think that we have a choice to save democracy. And I think that it’s important that we all get out and vote, and we vote for what we stand for,” voter Christian Slotter said.
Another question is what happens after Tuesday? Voters I spoke to say it’s difficult to not know when we will have a definitive answer on who will be the next leader of the country.
In Burlington, the assistant city clerk said it’s expected to be another high-turnout presidential year with more than 10,000 ballots cast in early voting.