Divisive Election Has Floridians ‘Overwhelmed’

LUTZ, FL — A line of people stood outside a neighborhood clubhouse in Lutz, Florida, that had been transformed into a polling place in time for Tuesday’s election. Soft chatter filled the air as neighbors greeted each other prior to the doors opening at 7 a.m. sharp.

Those in line cited their own reasons for coming to the polls so early to cast their Election Day ballots. For some, the early hour enabled them to have their say in the presidential race before they headed off to work. For others, it was a chance to be a part of history, an opportunity to “make sure the right person is in there.”

Regardless of which candidate they planned to back, those gathered Nov. 8 expressed concerns about the country’s future path. The divisiveness of the contest between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton weighed heavily.

“It’s bigger than what I’ve ever seen,” said one Pasco County woman, who declined to give her name. “There’s nobody in the middle.”

Jason Metz saw Tuesday’s election as a chance to make a difference. Voting, he said, is a duty. To those who feel their voted doesn’t count, he disagrees. They, he said, “have no reason to complain.”

Rita Bell was among the first voters to turn out to the small neighborhood precinct. The 78-year-old retired school teacher from New York City voted for the first time when John F. Kennedy was running. All these years later, the daughter of German immigrants finds herself overwhelmed by the vitriol of this election season. In all her years of voting, she said she cannot recall an election “when there was such discord and degradation.”

“I am truthfully upset by the way people are acting,” said Bell, whose husband was home ill and had cast his ballot by mail-in as a result. She was quick to explain why she had not chosen the same route this year.

“I wanted to be here,” she said.

The polls across Florida remain open until 7 p.m. Nov. 8.

For more information about voting in counties across the Tampa Bay area, check out this related story: Election Guide 2016: Polling Places, Times, Amendments for Tampa Bay and Beyond.

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Photos by Sherri Lonon