Thousands of South Florida residents have been to the polls or will be voting on Election Day for the candidate who will replace President Joe Biden. Here is a sample of what some people think about the candidates and the issues.
Cuban Republican will vote for Harris
Cuban Republican Norbert Fernandez: ‘Trump disrespects immigrants like me.’
Norbert Fernandez, a 55-year-old insurance broker, is a lifelong Republican who is
voting blue on Tuesday.
His vote does not so much reflect his support for Kamala Harris, the Democrat
presidential candidate, but his opposition to former President Donald Trump.
“I think Trump’s mentality is on an elementary school level and he’s too radical,”
Fernandez said. “Morally, I can’t vote for someone like him. Harris avoids questions and
has her flaws, but a man like Trump disrespects immigrants like me.
“Our economy cannot operate without immigrants,” said Fernandez, who is from Cuba.
“We want people that are going to come here and help better our society.”
Fernandez said he supported Trump’s initiative to build a wall on the Mexico border, but
it should not target all immigrants seeking entry.
“When criminals are crossing into America and causing havoc such as the Venezuelan
gangs in Colorado, that’s when it is needed,” Fernandez said, adding that he is taking a
chance on Harris to do a better job than Trump.
Overall, the presidential campaign has not been as serious as it should be on the issues
people care about, Fernandez said, faulting both candidates.
“They talk trash about each other and create drama,” he said.
–Brandon Blanco
Voting down ‘a culture of fear’
Todd Delmay, executive director of SAVE: ‘We can’t concede.’
With democracy, equality and freedom on the ballot this year, the stakes of the presidential
election are extremely high, says Todd Delmay, executive director of SAVE, a local charity
serving the LGBTQ community.
“We have lost an entire generation of queer leadership,” Delmay said, referring to those who left Florida in the aftermath of anti-LGBTQ legislation. “The election of President Trump has created a permission structure for a backlash to emerge against the emergence of rights.”
Delmay, a 53-year-old registered Democrat, cast his vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.
“There’s no other choice,” he said.
“A culture of fear” has permeated the political reality of the LGBTQ community in Florida with the passage of the 2022 “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which prohibits instruction on sexual orientation or gender identities in schools, Delmay said. For the past eight years, legislation, along with the discourse surrounding transgender children has targeted LGBTQ people in ways that have not been seen in a long time, he said.
The attacks on the legislative and social victories won by the LGBTQ from 2008-2015 come as no surprise, Delmay said.
“These things are cyclical. There’s the advance, then tension, then a slingshot to progress,”
Delmay said.
Despite the fear, Delmay encourages anyone in despair and those feeling hopeless and
powerless to continue to stand up and be counted.
“The purpose is for us to remain defeated,” Delmay said. “But we can’t concede.”
–Daniel Braz
University senior switches parties
Independent voter Xavier Delgado: ‘Gas prices were lower with Trump.
Barry University senior Xavier Delgado voted for Joe Biden, but after hearing about Donald
Trump on the “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast and the Ultimate Fighting Championship,
Delgado said the former president will have his vote.
“Being a fan of UFC and seeing how tight Trump is with Dana White and all the fighters, made me like him more,” said Delgado, who admitted that politics is not one of his main areas of
interest.
Four years ago, mainstream media and social media influencers influenced his vote.
“In 2020, I feel like I was easily persuaded to vote for Biden, but I wasn’t entirely persuaded by just them,” said Delgado, 23, who is from Warminster, Pennsylvania.
Describing himself as someone who “always kind of floated in the middle” politically, Delgado said that conservative perspectives caught his attention, including listening to episodes of the Joe Rogan Podcast that featured Trump. These shifts gradually led Delgado to reconsider his position, he said.
Delgado’s views on current global issues, such as the Ukraine-Russia conflict, also factored into his choice, he said.
“With what’s going on with Ukraine and Russia, I feel like the leadership we’ve been under isn’t really authoritative,” he said. “I think we need that authority back.”
While he hasn’t extensively researched Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential candidate, Delgado notes that his personal experiences—like gas prices—have impacted his decision.
“I can recall that gas prices were lower with Trump, so that affects me,” he said.
–Noah Gulley
New North Carolina resident will vote for Trump
Andrew Buschle: ‘Trump has backbone.’
Andrew Buschle is casting a vote for former president Donald Trump on Tuesday. His reason is clear: a desire for a president who puts America first.
Buschle, 22, a sales representative who recently moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, from South Florida, said he voted by mail, since he is still registered to vote in Florida. He said Trump has the love for America and strong leadership necessary to best serve the interests of the American people– especially in the wake of hurricanes Helene and Milton.
“North Carolina’s been through so much distress in recent months,” Buschle said. “And Vice President Harris’s affiliation with the most recent administration, I think has tainted a lot of her reputation around these parts.”
Buschle, who is no stranger to the hurricanes in Florida, said the federal response was lacking in North Carolina.
“I think a lot of people, especially people who voted Democrat in North Carolina four years ago, kind of feel this level of almost distrust in that party,” he said.
Harris comes across as insincere, Buschle said.
“I just don’t think she believes anything she says. Like, I think it’s very clear that she’s just saying what someone else wants her to say,” he said.
Buschle said he believes former President Trump, on the other hand, has shown the authentic
sense of urgency and leadership needed to serve America.
“Like, the guy’s not even in office…He’s out there for the American people whereas she’s just flying around campaigning,” Buschle said, adding that Harris responds only after the fact and after she gets called out by others.
Trump has backbone, Buschle said.
“Somebody tried to kill him, and he was able to get up and do his thing and continue to
campaign,” Buschle said. “I just think he has a true passion to make this place continue the
excellence that America has.”
–Dara Karadsheh
‘The Choice is Very Clear’
University of Miami political science department chair Casey Klofstad: ‘Do you want a would-be demagogue or an adult in the room who will govern for all?’
University of Miami political science professor Casey Klofstad says he’s backing Kamala
Harris for president.
“If we would like to champion things like personal liberty, equality; if we value things like
climate change and our position in the national community, the choice is very clear,”
said Klofstad, a Democrat.
A Biden supporter in the 2020 presidential race, Klofstad said he sees Harris’ campaign
as a continuation of Biden’s presidency. He said he credits Biden for repairing
international relationships that were damaged by former President Donald Trump.
Additionally, Biden “got us out of Covid and rebuilt the economy and lowered inflation,”
said Klofstad, who chairs the political science department and whose research interests
include how psychology, society and biology influence human decision-making. But
Biden dropped the ball on immigration, said Klofstad, who would like to see the vice
president act more forcefully on the border.
Klofstad, whose 2010 book, “Civic Talk: Peers, Politics, and the Future of Democracy,”
talks about how civic discussion leads to civic action, reiterated that voters have a
simple choice on Tuesday.
“Do you want a would-be demagogue, or do you want an adult in the room who will
govern for all?” he said.
-Allie Litzinger
First-time voter favors Trump
First-time voter Collin McLaughlin: ‘I’m looking forward to a fair election and looking to get out there and make sure my vote matters.’
At 23 years old, Collin McLaughlin skipped voting in 2020, describing the previous election as a year marked by disruption.
“Honestly, the last election was during the COVID year, and there was just a lot going on,” he said, reflecting on his decision to sit it out. “I’m from New Jersey, so it felt like my vote wasn’t going to really sway the results,” McLaughlin said, referring to New Jersey, which has favored the Democrat in presidential elections since 1992.
“I’m looking forward to a fair election and looking to get out there and make sure my vote
matters,” he said. “I’ve gotten a little bit older and have a broader opinion on different things. I feel a lot more educated this time.”
A graduate student at Barry University, McLaughlin will be voting for the first time in a
presidential election. And his choice is Donald Trump.
“I just hope that for my first time, my vote goes toward the future winner,” said McLaughlin,
who is sending his mail-ballot to New Jersey.
–Noah Gulley
