By Stephanie Khairallah
Kylie Marshall, Brendan Luke
As the 2016 election cycle comes to a close, the long-term effects of tomorrow’s vote loomed over the crowd lined up to hear President Barack Obama speak on behalf of Hillary Clinton at the University of New Hampshire on Monday.
“I just hope whoever loses can take the loss,” said UNH alum Tim Fran.
Karen Mangiacotti of Connecticut is concerned about the lasting damage of the election.
“What we have to worry about is trickle-down misogyny, racism and violence,” she said. “Trump’s words inspire hate in others. This is why Wednesday will be messy.”
The group seemed universally excited to hear Obama speak for what many said might be their last opportunity to see him as their president.
“It’s going to be a nerve-wracking day with the potential of riots in the forecast based on the civil unrest which we’ve seen in this election cycle,” said Tgrey MacNeil, a recently naturalized U.S. citizen who is originally from Scotland.
Some expressed fear at the unrest they believe this election has caused. Sam Winebaum and Lisa Miles believe Hillary Clinton will win yet fear that Congress will continue bickering.
“We hope this election will end all this fighting, but we worry it will only cause more and more as Congress and the Senate argue over the outcome,” said Winebaum, who referenced Obama’s attempt to nominate a Supreme Court justice as an example of the tendency for politicians to work against each other instead of with one another.
Others in the crowd seemed to share this sentiment on the eve of election day.
“Regardless of who wins, there will be unrest after this election, it simply cannot go smoothly,” said Dylan Carney, a former UNH student and a current representative for NextGen Climate Action, an organization that urges the public to vote with the climate in mind.
“There has been too much animosity between parties for this election to solve the whole problem.”