5 November 7-13, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | CuLture | Cafe | MusiC | Miami T-shirt featuring Leo Messi’s face, along with a small “I Voted” sticker — Jong- Ebot explained that voting today was important to her because she believes all Americans should exercise their right to choose their leaders. The longtime Pembroke Pines resident added that she sees the government as not just the people elected to office, but “all of us.” “My reason to choose who I chose today is because I value where they will take me. I want somebody that will lead by example, who will do what they promise,” she said. “That’s why I chose Kamala Harris.” ALEX DELUCA Trinity Cathedral, Downtown Miami Election Day at Trinity Cathedral Hall, where downtown Miami meets Edgewater, saw steady turnout despite occasional rain, bringing a diverse mix of voters, photogra- phers, and advocates to the church doors. By early afternoon, the location had seen more than 500 voters. “You just missed a big crowd,” remarked the poll worker who greeted us at the entrance around 1:30. Outside on the steps, a visitor from Brazil snapped photos of the building. “I’ve never seen voting take place in a church,” he said.”Maybe a school, but not a church.” Though not voting, he shared his opinion as he left, saying he hoped Trump wins. Inside, a poll worker who said her name was Shantee reflected on the day’s turnout as she signed in voters. “It’s been going really well. Even though it’s been raining, we’ve had a lot of voters come in today.” For Shantee, the election holds personal significance, particularly with a woman run- ning for president. “I think it means every- thing,” she explained. “I believe that it’s a mark in history. Women feel like, ‘Wow, if she can do it, I can do it.’” She also touched on Amendment 4. “Women should have their own say-so with what happens to their bodies,” she said. “No one has the right to take that away. If you do have something like that, there’s going to be a lot of women who kill themselves. Peo- ple will just abort it themselves. Every woman should have her own voice, her own right, and her own belief.” Edgewater resident and MyBallotAI founder Mark Larman also turned out to cast his ballot, noting how his app helps voters access ballot information. “Four years ago, when I was voting right after George Floyd was murdered, I didn’t know who the judges were,” he recalled. “And you’re kind of flipping a coin on their whole career. When AI became democra- tized, I thought, ‘If you put AI in front of it, it makes it easier, maybe a fun experience to learn about what’s on the ballot.’” Reflecting on the election’s historic mo- ment, Larman, a Black man, added, “It’s about time a Black woman has the chance to get in there. It expands people’s thoughts.” Miami-Dade School Board candidate Martin Karp was on the premises, promoting his run for the District 3 seat. “Right now we’re the third-largest school district in the country, and we have a lot of amazing things we can do here,” he said. He paused to greet a passing voter, then continued, expressing his commitment to engaging students with Miami’s local indus- tries to keep them here after graduation. As she exited after voting, Tatiana Moreira shared her view on participation in a democracy. “How can you say what you want or don’t if you don’t vote? I googled where to vote. They give you the address and everything. It’s really easy, so everybody should come and vote.” ZULEKHA PITTS Watsco Center, University of Miami The University of Miami’s Coral Gables campus was remarkably empty on Tuesday morning. No students tabling in the breezeway. No last-minute campaigns. No protests. The only sign that it was Election Day was a slight increase in Trump-themed caps and pro-recreational marijuana “Yes on 3” shirts. Hours later, the school’s newspaper, the Hurricane, would report that for a time, stu- dents attempting to vote at the polling sta- tion at the Watsco Center were turned away by poll workers who didn’t understand the election laws regarding ID requirements. The students reflected the calmer atmo- sphere, voicing a hope for “peace” and “de- mocracy” in the days to come as opposed to one candidate’s victory. “It seems like this is one of the schools where everyone keeps their opinion to themselves,” one junior said, adding that he appreciated the relative calm surrounding the election and the absence of hostility. “People go about their day not caring about who people vote for.” A student who identified herself as a Trump voter agreed. “I find UM as very re- spectful of either person’s political views, but it hasn’t really been an issue for me,” she said. She was hoping to get stopped by Right Side Reels, an increasingly popular TikTok account that posts man-on-the-street style interviews at UM and Florida International University. The videos usually feature a pass- erby talking about why they plan to vote for Trump in 2024. Most interviewees wear bootleg Trump hats that substitute the letter U with UM’s stylized version. Some students expressed interest in Flor- ida’s proposed constitutional amendments on abortion and recreational marijuana. “The amendments to me were more im- portant because those affect my day-to-day life a little more,” a student voter shared. “The presidency is just a person. I don’t re- ally care at that point.” Another student, a Maryland native, said, “I think abortion is the most important,” ex- plaining that the presence of Amendment 4 on the ballot was instrumental in her deci- sion to vote in Florida rather than in her reli- ably blue home state. “I figured my vote would count more here than in Maryland.” PATRICK MCCASLIN [email protected] “EVERY WOMAN SHOULD HAVE HER OWN VOICE, HER OWN RIGHT, AND HER OWN BELIEF.” ▼ LITTLE HAVANA NO, WE CAN’T INSIDE A PRO-CHOICE WATCH PARTY AS AMENDMENT 4 FAILS. BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN I t’s just after 8 p.m. on election night when New Times arrives at the Florida Women’s Freedom Coalition’s watch party at Ball & Chain in Little Havana. Polls have closed in South Florida and the re- sults are starting to roll in. There is one particular ballot question on ev- eryone’s minds at this party: Amendment 4, the “Right to Abortion” initiative, which would en- shrine abortion rights in the state constitution. All over the bar are stickers, buttons, and T-shirts in support of the “Yes on 4” campaign to protect the right to abortion in the Sunshine State. Former University of Miami president and U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala is in attendance, fielding questions from the media. But most onlookers clad in their “Yes on 4” and “Harris for President” T-shirts look tense. So are the members of Men- 4Choice, a nonprofit group that helps activate, educate, and mobilize men as partners and allies to advocate for abortion rights. Some guests are seated in booths, glued to computer and phone screens as the vote tally progresses and servers pass mini Cuban sand- wiches, tostones, and other finger foods. Others mingle at the bar, ordering drinks. Another group huddles around the two flatscreen TV monitors broadcasting MSNBC near the entrance. On stage, a DJ spins tunes in front of a banner that reads, “Our Lives, Miami Rally for Reproduc- tive Freedom.” Many of the song choices don’t fit the mood, given the nervous atmosphere, which appears to fit what seems to have become the term of the day among liberal-leaning Americans: nauseously optimistic. Suffice to say hardly any- one here appears to be in the mood to dance to Marc Anthony or a remix of “Suavemente.” By 8:40 p.m., when the party should be get- ting going, more than 85 percent of Florida bal- lots have been tallied and Amendment 4 sits at 57 percent support — three points shy of the su- permajority required for it to pass. No one is smiling. Eyes remain resolutely glued to screens. A man named Nico, who worked as a can- vasser in Miami-Dade County in support of the abortion initiative, tells New Times he’s proud of the work he and his fellow canvassers put in to spread the word. “You can see a lot of the people wanted to know about the issue and cared about the issue deeply,” he says. “I think overall that stands out the most. If anything, if the result doesn’t go the way we thought it would, we know that we went out there and fought disinformation and we let a lot of people know what is really at stake here in Florida. “We can live with defeat because it’s democ- racy and that’s what we have to live with.” Ten minutes later, the inevitable is sinking in. Partygoers are beginning to clear out. No one has told the DJ, though — he’s playing “My Humps” by the Black Eyed Peas. He ought to be spinning “sad drinking music,” a bystander notes. It’s a little past 9 p.m. and people are officially sad. The amendment did not pass. Tears are shed, embraces commence and are prolonged. Still, the music plays on, sounding increasingly louder as the bar continues to empty out. Dan, a former fellow with Men4Choice, con- fesses he’s heartbroken. “I’m very disappointed with the results, of course,” he tells New Times. “I was talking to someone here tonight and they said in any other context, this would have been a landslide: 43 to 57 — that’s a huge win, right? But because of the way our initiative law works here in Florida, we lost. “We need to organize, because it wasn’t just us that lost on this. Amendment 3 [to legalize recreational marijuana] also lost, and I think there was even more funding, more energy, and more support behind that. So I think it’s clear that 60 percent threshold is not representative of what the opinion is on the ground.” Word went around that those who remained at the bar should gather around the stage for speeches. But no one took the stage. By 10:05 p.m., the staff was clearing the tables. All that re- mained was to turn off the lights. And the music. A table at Ball & Chain filled with “Yes on 4” merch Photo by Anna Magluta Can You Say “Anticlimax”? from p4
