The 39-year-old Trotwood woman鈥檚 absentee ballot arrived a couple of days earlier, but she still hadn鈥檛 filled it out.
鈥淚t鈥檚 voting time and I still don鈥檛 know where either side stands on the issues 鈥� all I鈥檝e heard is a lot of bickering,鈥� she told a group of fellow Southwest Ohioans during a Your Voice Ohio (YVO) Zoom meeting Oct. 7.
It was the first time the woman talked to anyone this year about the presidential election because she feared being shamed or attacked again.
That鈥檚 what happened after people found out she voted for Donald Trump in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama before that. Her name is being withheld to avoid any more blowback.
This year, the civic duty to help choose the next U.S. president weighs heavily.
鈥淚f you don鈥檛 pick the right person,鈥� the woman said, 鈥渋t could like, literally, be a civil war that goes on in our country.鈥�
Ohioans were uneasy a month away from Election Day.
The 2020 presidential election feels different, they said, with more at stake.
They鈥檙e not only worried about the deep and bitter divisions separating Americans, they鈥檙e fearful about where the country is heading even as the , which has already killed more than 5,075 Ohioans, rages on.
United in concern
The Trotwood woman was the only person in the Southwest Ohio YVO group to say she was undecided. The others were not asked and did not say who they supported. But based on what they said about the candidates and the issues, they appeared to break this way: one Trump voter, two Joe Biden voters, and a Libertarian supporting that party鈥檚 candidate, Jo Jorgensen.
But all expressed some level of concern.
鈥淚鈥檓 scared and worried about our country and the young children growing up,鈥� said James Porter, an 82-year-old retired school teacher who lives in the GOP stronghold of Warren County.
He said about eight of every 10 signs on his street are for Trump, and he thinks his county will likely vote for Trump again.
鈥淏ut that doesn鈥檛 mean everyone is happy with Trump,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think we鈥檙e disgusted with both sides.鈥�
Michelle MacCutcheon, a former membership coordinator for Ohio鈥檚 Libertarian party, said the anxiety this election cycle began during the last, particularly after Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in 2016 but lost the election.
Many Clinton voters felt slighted. And instead of reaching out to the 46% of eligible voters who stayed home in 2016, people on both the left and right shamed anyone who didn鈥檛 think like them, she said, expressing empathy for the Trotwood woman, who considers herself an independent.
鈥淚 feel for her so much on that,鈥� said MacCutcheon, who said she has long been shamed for voting third party.
On top of that, there鈥檚 the pandemic. It鈥檚 prompted people across the country to tighten their circles with people of 鈥渓ike thought and like mind鈥� and that gave people a bolder voice, MacCutcheon said.
鈥淎nd also we鈥檙e angry, we're frickin鈥� angry at the fact that COVID and our government or however you want to look at it, took these things away from us,鈥� she said.
Concerns for voting
Whether it was losing time with someone in a nursing home, or like MacCutcheon, missing the birth of a grandchild, those are moments gone forever.
There also were worries about the election process itself, particularly during the pandemic鈥攚hen so many Ohioans are鈥攁nd amid such deep political division. Some worried about intimidation, or even violence at the polls. They also worried about how long it would take to determine who won: Trump or Biden.
David Funck, who lives in suburban Cincinnati, said other countries have long offered many options to help citizens vote.
That hasn鈥檛 happened in the U.S. and, amid the pandemic, there are new obstacles that undermine people鈥檚 confidence in the voting system or make voting more difficult or even possibly unsafe.
He said it鈥檚 鈥渦nconscionable鈥� that some politicians are demeaning the U.S. Postal Service and its ability to deliver ballots and elections in general.
At the same time, he pointed out the in each of Ohio鈥檚 88 counties, no matter if thousands of voters or more than a million live in the county.
鈥淭he question becomes why are we not able to provide safe voting in every manner to everyone at this point,鈥� Funck said.
Funck, who put much of the blame for the divide in the country on Trump and the GOP, said he was surprised there were any undecided voters left so close to such a monumental election.
Unmet needs
The Trotwood woman tried to explain, both her own situation and that of many people she knows.
鈥淲hen you look at people like me, where they may live in poverty, always remember Maslow鈥檚 pyramid,鈥� she said.
The pyramid represents a psychology theory of a hierarchy of needs. If the two foundation layers are not fulfilled鈥攆ood, water, rest, safety and security鈥攏othing else can be accomplished.
鈥淯nless your basic needs are met, things like politics do not play into your mindset. They just don鈥檛,鈥� the woman said.
The woman said she tried to watch the debate but was turned off by the fighting and never did learn what Trump or Biden planned to do if elected.
鈥淚f I discuss it with African Americans, I鈥檓 attacked. And then if I discuss it with Republicans, they don鈥檛 understand where I鈥檓 coming from as an independent,鈥� said the woman, who is Black.
鈥淚t鈥檚 almost like I can鈥檛 feel the way I want to about the election,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 almost like I鈥檓 silent.鈥�
Amanda Garrett is a reporter for the Akron Beacon Journal and can be emailed at agarrett@thebeaconjournal.com.
Want to volunteer for a future dialogue and receive $125 for two hours? Register at the .
About this project: This is one in a series of stories on issues Ohioans say are most important in this election year. More than 50 news outlets are collaborating in the project under the umbrella of , the nation鈥檚 largest sustained, statewide news media collaborative. In five years, Your Voice Ohio has brought more than 100 journalists together with more than 1,300 Ohioans for discussions on addiction, the economy and elections. Your Voice Ohio is managed and coordinated by the , a nonpartisan, nonprofit civic engagement organization. The project is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Democracy Fund and Facebook. The Jefferson Center for New Democratic Processes designs and facilitates the dialogues and digital forums. Retired Akron Beacon Journal managing editor Doug Oplinger directs the media work and can be reached at doplinger@yourvoiceohio.org.
