Election Day is less than one week away, and no one knows that more than swing state voters. As a Georgia resident myself with a mailbox full of voting reminders and a phone full of texts from canvassers, I know this intimately. With this race so close and the electoral college poised to play a defining role yet again, both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have spent the last few weeks bouncing between Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and more. Harris appeared in Wisconsin’s capital alongside singer Gracie Abrams and beloved rock band Mumford & Sons – her seventh visit to the state this cycle – while Trump rallied in a Green Bay suburb, accompanied by NFL quarterback Brett Favre. In Pennsylvania, where Harris has lagged most behind Trump, a crude “joke” has outraged the half a million Puerto Rican voters who call the state home. At a New York rally, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage”; prominent Latinos everywhere have decried the remarks, including Puerto Rican reggaeton artist and former Trump supporter Nicky Jam who pulled his endorsement immediately after.
Few places have consumed as much of the campaigns’ attention and resources as Michigan. The state has 15 electoral votes up for grabs and both candidates have been relentless in courting them. “I love your generation,” Harris told University of Michigan students. “You are rightly impatient for change.” Kamala Harris has pulled out all stops with rallies from Detroit and Dearborn to Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo featuring Former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and former First Lady Michelle Obama. Celebrities like Beyonce, Eminem, and Maggie Rogers have also graced the Harris for President stage, with others like Cardi B, GloRilla, The Isley Brothers, MC Lyte, and more still cued up for upcoming rallies. Trump hasn’t had the same level of star power behind him, but he’s been making his rounds just the same with podcast interviews and an alternative media blitz.
As the aforementioned moments consume the media cycle, it begs the question: does any of this have an impact on actual voters? That the election is this close speaks to how divided and unsatisfied most Americans are with the way things have been. Will strong speeches and star-studded events shift that indecisiveness? We are days away from Election Day and millions of ballots have already been cast. With hundreds of millions more projected to come in, we spoke to experts, advocates, and community members across several swing states to see what people are hearing and seeing on the ground.
Trump’s remarks caused a lot of people to shift gears.
Pennsylvania community advocate Gina Vazquez
Joshua Hoe is a Lansing, MI resident and Dream.org’s Senior Policy Manager where he manages the organization’s legislative projects. “There are clearly undecided voters and people who are protesting for whatever reason who deserve to be engaged,” Hoe shared. Over the last few weeks, …read more
Source:: Refinery29
