On November 5th 2024, millions of people from all walks of life and all different backgrounds united together to cast their vote in the 2024 Presidential Election. For the past few months, people have been urging others to vote, to perform their civic duty, and to make their voice heard. That urging worked, because millions of Americans sent in their votes to elect former President Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States.

On Election Day, I spent my day at the Shaw’s Supermarket on Stafford Street. I took part in a program through the City of Worcester that allows students to spend the day as an election official, learning how voting works, and what happens behind the scenes on election day. I arrived at eight in the morning, and worked until five in the evening, with an hour break for lunch. I am not going to lie – this day drained me. As an election official, you have to be on all day, and greet the voters with as much kindness and enthusiasm as you did when you first arrived. Some of these people may be experiencing voting for the first time, or may be anxious about voting itself. Thanking people for voting, and letting them know that their vote counts is what keeps them coming back, and lets them know that they are important.

I met a lot of wonderful people on Election Day. I worked with a group of incredibly kind people, and they were more than willing to help explain the process of voting, and all of the behind the scenes work. Although we were working an election, I never would have known who they voted for. In a world that is constantly filled with politics, I was happy to be with such kind people and not worry about who they voted for, or what they believed in. All I knew was that they were passionate about voting, and that was all I needed to know. I truly wouldn’t have made it through this day without them, and I am so thankful for such a great experience.