A scarecrow dons a “Make America Joyful Again” T-shirt. (Claire Sullivan | New Hampshire Bulletin)
Cars lined a main road in Chester Tuesday morning as residents came out to vote, old Halloween decorations and political signs scattered beneath a cloudy sky and the remaining splotches of autumn leaves.
The political messages, usually in bold, all-capitalized lettering, were to the point: “Trump/Safety, Kamala/Crime,” read one sign near the polling place in the municipal office. Across the street, a scarecrow donned a blue T-shirt with the message: “Make America Joyful Again.”
Further down Chester Street, two colorful signs stood one after the other. One blarred: “Kelly Ayotte/Higher Property Taxes.” The other: “Joyce Craig/Higher Taxes.” (The Republican and Democrat, respectively, are locked in what is considered the most competitive governor’s race in the country.)
Chester, a southeastern town of about 5,000, has voted twice for former President Donald Trump. On the morning of Election Day, residents came out in steady droves to decide whether the Republican should head back to the White House, and made their picks in other consequential races for the Legislature, governor, Congress, and more.
Regardless of who they bubbled in at the top of the ticket, the voters who stopped to speak to the Bulletin expressed concern about the political climate in the country, which they described as tense and often unproductive. They disagreed about which presidential candidate would put the country on a better path, but they shared similar underlying concerns about the country’s politics.
Julie Dockery
If it wasn’t for her kids, Julie Dockery might consider heading back to England if Trump wins the presidency again.
“I don’t like his hateful rhetoric,” Dockery said. “I think he just spreads hate and anger.”
The 62-year-old is a social worker at a community college and has lived in New Hampshire for more than 20 years. Climate change is the issue most important to her. She also cares about housing in the state, the economy, and inflation.
She voted for Harris, “because Trump is a psychotic narcissist, in my opinion, and I would never vote for him. And I think Kamala Harris will do a good job. I think she has – the priorities are in line with mine.” A registered Democrat who described herself as “very left-leaning,” she voted blue straight down the ticket.
“Anxious. Really, really anxious,” is how she described her feelings about the political climate in general. “And this is just my opinion, if Trump is to get in, I think it’s going to be disastrous. I think it’s absolutely going to be disastrous, and I think the country will just crumble.”
In her experience, people don’t speak about politics anymore, “because everyone’s so divided.”
“I personally know some Trump supporters, and we don’t talk politics because it just gets too heated too quickly, and we end up all – we don’t seem to be able to have a rational, reasonable conversation,” Dockery said. “So I avoid, as much as I hate it, I avoid talking politics at all costs, unless I know people are like-minded.”
Asked if she feels hopeful that that could change, she said: “No, I don’t, unfortunately.”
“I just think it’s a really, really scary time right now,” she said, “and I truly believe that if Trump gets in, then it’s not going to be good in any stretch of the imagination.”
Robert Harris
Robert Harris, 79, an independent, voted for Trump and the rest of the Republican ticket on Tuesday. He said he also supported Trump in past elections.
“I don’t have any faith in her,” he said of Vice President Harris. “I don’t have any faith in the Democratic Party. It seems like when they say no taxes, that means get ready, because they’re going to tax.”
The issues most important to him, he said: “Jesus, the immigration is terrible. Inflation is not good. In general, it’s just the way the country is going right now. Even though Donald Trump is a little bit radical, he’s the best choice out of the two, I feel.”
He described the political climate of the past few years as “kind of messed up.”
“Well, it seems like a lot of people are confused, you know, on what to do, because where Trump is always in the limelight and stuff, and of course, and that takes away from his presidency when … it’s all these court cases and everything.”
Willamina Coroka
Willamina Coroka, 38, a project implementation specialist, put her reasons for voting for Harris simply: “Because I am a woman and because I am an educator, and for those two reasons alone, I think that justifies my response.”
Formerly an independent, she registered as a Democrat eight years ago around the time Trump first ran for president. For governor, she supported Craig, the Democrat. She said she has personally met her and found her “very relatable” and “incredibly intelligent.”
“She will work for the people,” Coroka said, “and that is effectively why we are voting for these candidates, is they’re supposed to be civil servants to us, and I know that she will do an exceptional job going into office.”
Coroka described herself as a “huge traveler” – but said she is “almost embarrassed at this point to say that I am an American citizen” because of how people from other countries view American politics.
“‘Why are you guys going backwards in time? You know, for a country that’s supposed to be so progressive, why are you choosing to remove rights that you’ve already had?’” she said is the sentiment she has heard abroad. “And that’s embarrassing.”
She thinks the political climate is getting worse and wants a president who will unite the country.
“I think we’re more divided than ever before,” Coroka said. “And it’s no longer about politics, it’s about personality, and voting for the person that is going to rattle the most window panes. … It’s very agitated.”
For that climate to improve, “people need to drop their egos first and foremost,” Coroka said. “And that’s not something at a political level. That’s a personal recognition of, we are all in this together. It’s one country. It’s one globe. Why we choose to pillage one another and point fingers and support bigotry? I don’t understand, but I do think that there’s hope. I think that there’s opportunities for change.”
Lawrence Franchini
Lawrence Franchini, 51, a sales executive, is a libertarian who backed Trump for president and Ayotte for governor.
“I don’t agree with Trump as a person, but I agree with his policies,” said Franchini, who moved to New Hampshire from California nine years ago. “I fully believe that we should get back to doing tariffs and actually reducing our actual income tax.”
He prefers Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance.
“I think he’s much more well spoken, much more articulate, much more level-headed,” he said, “so I think it’s a healthy balance.”
He sees Ayotte as a chance to continue what he has seen as a successful job of incumbent Republican Gov. Chris Sununu.
“What I’ve seen with what Chris has done, and how he’s handled himself and comported himself, not only through the pandemic, but also through the rest of his tenure,” Franchini said, “I wanted somebody that can continue on that legacy.”
Franchini said immigration was a top issue for him and a driving reason for his voting choices. He said he is a first-generation American, with a mom who emigrated from Argentina and “did it the right way.”
Franchini feels the political climate is worsening. The only way for things to get better, he said, is if Americans become more willing to have open, honest conversations with people they disagree with.
“People aren’t willing to have an open dialogue and discussion, and that’s what we need to be able to do,” he said. “Just because you don’t agree with my views, that’s fine. I don’t hate you as a person. I find that sometimes it’s very divisive, and people should just understand that, you know, that’s how we become better, is by having open dialogue and a debate.”
He thinks people feel more passionately than they used to, and that they have “this ridiculous need for significance” that causes them to close themselves off. Americans need to be willing to learn from each other, he said. He has family members voting for the other presidential ticket, and he thinks the fact that everyone is entitled to their own views is part of “what makes this country great.”
“If we could all come together,” he said, “where could we go?”
