MELISSA MANNO 

VOTER POLARITY /

 

Amidst nationwide protests, civil unrest and rising Coronavirus cases, the 2020 U.S. presidential election may have been one of the most significant elections in modern American history. Living in a swing state meant the stakes were particularly high, as Pennsylvanians grew increasingly polarized on their political stances. 

 

According to official data published by Centre County, Joe Biden received 40,055 votes as opposed to Donald Trump’s 36,372. Although the county’s recent electoral record has been blue, it’s usually by a relatively close margin. It’s an interesting place to watch an election unfold, as college students and more urbanized areas bleed blue while the older demographic and vast rural regions run red. 

 

Watching the election unfold revealed how there is a lack of grey area in the U.S. political climate — voters were either blue or red, and whichever they chose they were stark in those values. Each side was morally distasteful to the other. And although the election is over, each side believes they’ve won.