'Twas the Night Before: Bay Area Speaks Out on Eve of Election

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco has long been an oasis for liberal and progressive political pursuits. Not everyone identifies as a leftie, though, and some people don't identify as political at all. The last presidential election saw 21% of eligible voters skirting the polls, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This doesn't even take into consideration the number of Americans who are not registered voters, for one reason or another. Over the last four years, though, the Bush administration's policies at home and abroad have changed the voting landscape in the U.S. Here in California, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that record numbers of voter registration applications, not to mention absentee ballots. Suddenly the apolitical are finding reasons to drag themselves to the polls, even after the disappointment of a failed voting system and corrupt electoral process in 2000.

Four years ago, by most accounts, the United States was maintaining a steady economy, for the first time in U.S. history there was a federal surplus of $5.6 trillion, and the U.S. had comfortable relationships with its first-world allies across the globe. Unfortunately, on the eve of the 2004 presidential election, the United States no longer has any of these things.

Four the past four years, the people of the United States have lived with the lingering sting of the Florida voting debacle, the steady degradation of the economy, the tragedy of 9/11, and the aftermath of U.S. war-mongering across the Middle East. These are the issues that voters will carry with themselves to the polls tomorrow.

Though California, as a state that has been written off by the rest of the nation as insignificant to the outcome of the election, has not been the target of voter fraud allegations on the scale of Florida and Ohio, many San Franciscans are still very concerned about voter fraud. Jonny Melvin, an artist and ex-convict from the Mission District, warned that “voter fraud should be something people are afraid of.”

Cara Morgan, a salesclerk at Therapy in the Mission, is already feeling skeptical about the security of her vote. “Voting here [in San Francisco] was really shady,” she said. Morgan, who originally lived iand voted n Missouri, voted for her first time in San Francisco this week. “It was completely different than what I'm used to. All you do is draw a line and then put it in an envelope! There was no way for me to know that someone couldn't just open up the envelope after I'd let it out of my sight. Where I’m from, people scan your ballot,” said Morgan.

Karen Wong, an international business and communications major at San Francisco State University feels more confident about the safety of her vote. “I do think our votes are going to count because, this time, we’re not going to let Florida happen again.”

With Californians feeling they cannot impact the national election, local and state ballot initiatives have taken on new importance. An amendment to the Three Strikes law will be on the California ballot this election, and prison activists have mobilized to bring greater awareness around the issues of the prison system in California. The Three Strikes law stipulates that offenders must serve mandatory minimum sentences, some from 25 years to life in prison upon their third arrest. The ammendment would ensure that they only be sent for an extended amount of time if they commit a violent crime. Although Melvin identifies as an anarchist, and has debated with friends about the value of going to the polls, he will be voting on this proposition. “California is the only state in the country where you can be sent to prison for 25 to life for a non-violent crime. A couple of my homies are doing life for something as little as lifting Levi’s.”

The war in Iraq continues to be the number one incentive for most people to vote tomorrow. While many voters think that Kerry will end the war, both candidates have more similar policies than many people realize. Kerry plans to send more troops to Iraq, though he does intend to mend alliances with other countries. Bush has maintained that the war is over, and that Iraq is actually on a road towards democracy. Many people disagree with both candidates, though; concerned with the mounting casualties on both sides, not to mention the billions being funneled away from social services at home, they are looking for outlets outside of voting to voice their anger. “I’m really pissed about how [President George W. Bush] is wasting our money [on the war],” said Jay Sims, a carpenter who works and live in San Francisco. "If he wins, I will be even more pissed off, and I don't even know what I'll do."

Wong said, “I will be voting tomorrow because I’m very upset about us going to war. If he wins... well, what can we do? I know one thing, though: you definitley don't want to wave a Bush sign in my face tomorrow.”

Though the War on Terrorism and in Iraq have received top billing in the media, many people are concerned about issues closer to home – namely, job losses, tax cuts and economic stability. “The minimum wage is currently six to seven dollars. I work two jobs, 16 hours a day just to make that. We’re struggling,” said William Mora, an actor and continuing education student working at City Blends café in the Mission. With a wife and two children to support, Mora is concerned about Bush's recent tax cuts totaling $136 billion, which have primarily gone to multinational corporations. “I think that taxes should be cut for people that make less than $100,000 a year,” said Sims.

Even traditionally-partisan Republicans had harsh criticism for President Bush and his administration. Greg Grimala, a 22 year old Republican who works at Bill Graham Presents, has been thinking about his vote for months now. “I voted for Bush four years ago because his personality persuaded me, but now he makes me sick. He used the war as an excuse to further his own gains.” Standing in front of the San Francisco Shopping Center, Grimala felt confident that Kerry would take the presidency tomorrow. “I saw this bumper sticker the other day, it said ‘Anybody But Bush’. I think this is a big boost for Kerry. We could be doing a lot better. Kerry will win because people are fed up.”

Those who have been been excluded from the electoral process are anxiously awaiting the results of tomorrow's election, as well. Hilton Silva is a hotel worker at the Pickwick Hotel in downtown San Francisco. Although he is a Brazilian immigrant, and ineligible to vote, he is also concerned about the direction the country is going, and says that he would vote for Kerry if he could. “I don’t like Bush’s international policy. I don’t think that Kerry can stop the war right away, but at least he will move us in the right direction.”

Oakland school teacher and church worker, Shirwanna Birchett, is concerned about the African-American voice being heard in the upcoming election. When asked whether she would be voting tomorrow, she was adamant about her plans. “Hell, yes, I’m going to vote tomorrow! If you’re an African-American, you have the right to vote, though they are gonna try and stop you. I know my history, and no one can tell me what I can and cannot do,” she said, referencing the purported plans to challenge African-American votes in Ohio and Florida. Cradling her baby in her arms, she summed up what is driving millions of people to vote in what is expected to be a record turnout: "It's about community. When we come together as a community, we become one loud roar, as opposed to just a bunch of individual voices. Well, I'm ready to roar." ******************************************************************
This piece was originally published in NY2SF, a new bi-coastal zine.