Voters Anxiety
As I type this, votes are continuing to be tallied, lawsuits are being filed, recounts are being promised, and the presidential race is still too close to call. Some positive takeaways from the election that we already know for sure? Voters in Mississippi voted to remove the Confederate flag from their state flag. Florida raised its minimum wage to $15. The first transgender state senator was elected in Delaware. New Jersey banned businesses from handing out single-use plastic. More people exercised their right to vote than ever before. Voters under 30 made up for 17% of all voters this go-round, and they overwhelmingly voted for Joe Biden—especially young people of color. 88% of young Black voters, 83% of young Asian voters, and 75% of young Latinx voters voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in this election.
Another bright spot: Social media companies have been forced to put their money where their mouths are in this close election, implementing new policies to flag misinformation and prevent its spread. Both Facebook and Twitter have been taking action on false allegations. In the days since voting closed, President Trump, notorious for tweeting false claims, has seen twelve of his tweets flagged for misinformation. I have noticed more hidden tweets due to misinformation on my timeline than ever before. While these new policies can’t stop people from forming and sharing their own opinions, it’s reassuring that the platforms are making an effort to ensure we’re sharing facts instead of falsehoods, when it comes to something as important as well, the future of our democracy.
It’s been a stressful week, and for me it’s been a much more emotional week than I anticipated. Sharing a few Toks that brought me joy this week, because I think we could all use some of that. This cute grandad is absolutely killing the newest dance trend. This man was able to accurately depict my feelings every time we turn the clocks back. And this mom caught on camera simply attempting to pull her car out of her driveway gave me a deep laugh when I needed it most.
—Darlene Kenney, Marketing Assistant
