Why Oklahomans are voting for Trump, Harris on Election Day

As Oklahomans cast their votes in a historic election on Tuesdaythe presidential race between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris was at the forefront of voters’ minds.

A number of state and local races were also on the ballot. But many voters tied their choices to their concerns about national issues — such as abortion, immigration, health care and the economy — and the presidential candidate they believed was best suited to address them.

John Fitzgerald said he is a registered Democrat but voted for former President Trump. He cast his ballot at a polling place on the south side of Shawnee, saying he saw his decision as a choice between “the lesser of two evils.”

“I realize he’s the one who’s going to get us back,” Fitzgerald, 70, said. “We’ve already seen him in action for four years, even though he was beaten by the other parties. He’s a businessman. We’ve tried everything else, let’s go with a businessman.”

Anthony Calhoun was among the hundreds of voters who cast ballots at Millwood Field House in north Oklahoma City. He said he believes the vote is a chance for the people to put the right representatives in office. To him, that meant Harris, the current vice president.

“When I think about the issues, I think about all the lies that I’ve heard from Trump over the years … you can’t handle that as president,” Calhoun said. “When I talk about issues, those things. about women’s rights. Yes, women have rights. We don’t have to be men telling women what to do with their things.”

While national concerns drove people to the polls, state and Oklahoma county election officials said Tuesday afternoon that it was too early to say how many voters turned out. Oklahoma typically trails almost every other state when it comes to voter turnout.

Poll workers who spoke to The Oklahoman said the sites appeared busier than in previous presidential elections and that the cold weather didn’t seem to be keeping voters away. More than 292,000 people voted in the four days of in-person early voting, a number that far exceeded the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

Election officials prepared for months and years to ensure the day went off without a hitch and to prepare for the possibility of violence and unrest on Election Day. In October, the FBI arrested a 27-year-old Afghan national living in Oklahoma City after he planned to carry out an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack around the election. The alleged plotter’s brother-in-law, a teenager who lives in Moore, was also arrested but has not been publicly identified.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Oklahoma City police had not dealt with any problems or disturbances, a department spokesman said. “We are aware of the day and where our polling places are, but so far (I) haven’t heard anything,” Sgt. Dillon Quirk said.

“I really didn’t vote for Trump; I voted against his opponents

For many Oklahoma voters, the stakes of the election were personal.

Stanley Lee, 65, wore a long, clear trash bag around his neck when he walked into Oak Crest Church in south Oklahoma City to vote. Wearing the trash bag was a joke, Lee said, a sarcastic reference to President Joe Biden’s recent comment about Trump supporters being “trash.”

Lee, a retired real estate manager and former restaurant waiter, said he voted for Trump in 2016 but didn’t vote for him in 2020. Lee said he didn’t vote for Trump that year because — he lives in the majority state republican from Oklahoma — didn’t think it mattered whether they voted for him or not.

This year, however, Lee returned to the polls to support Trump.

“I really had to vote for Trump this time because I really despise the way he’s been treated,” Lee said. “His enemies, the people who hate him — I hate them, so I really didn’t vote for Trump; I voted against his opponents.”

Trump supporters in Oklahoma want to see economic improvements

José Jacobo — a 69-year-old man who immigrated to Oklahoma from Ciudad Victoria, the capital of Tamaulipas, Mexico, at the age of 26 — said illegal immigration and the economy were two of the most important issues for him when he voted for the president. this year.

Jacobo cast his vote for Trump at Bethel United Methodist Church in Bethel Acres because he said he believes the former president keeps his promises, even if he doesn’t always say “the right words.”

When President Joe Biden took office, Jacobo said he “undid everything Trump had done.”

Jon Matthews, 25, of Oklahoma City, agreed with Jacobo’s position, saying that when it comes to everything from immigration to the price of eggs, he thinks Trump will be a better candidate.

“I don’t want another four years like the ones I just had,” he said.

Harris voters in Oklahoma feel they have ‘no choice’

Despite being a red state, many Harris supporters also turned out to vote. Many said that when it came to choosing between the two presidential candidates, they felt they had no choice.

Gregory Grant, a 46-year-old Democrat who lives in Shawnee, said he, like many voters on both sides of the aisle, is “nervous about what the future holds.”

“We know for sure who Donald Trump is,” Grant said. “Kamala Harris… I can see how her governing style can be a little up in the air, but we know who the other guy is and so it’s easy to make a choice.”

Londa Thomas, 83, also of Shawnee, said the decision was easy for her, too.

“There’s no choice, as far as I’m concerned, I can’t vote for a felon,” Thomas said, referring to Trump’s convictions for falsifying business records.

Jess Hall, 41, an Oklahoma City Democrat, said she hopes the party’s voters will turn out in force in Oklahoma County.

“I think I’m confident that Trump will win Oklahoma, but I’m very hopeful that we can at least turn Oklahoma County purple,” she said. “I think Kamala will win nationally though.”

Harris, however, faces an uphill climb to claim any wins in Oklahoma. Every Republican presidential candidate has won Oklahoma by a 2-to-1 margin since 2004, and a Democratic candidate has not won a county since 2000.

Although not determining factors for voting, Oklahomans care about state and local races

The election gave Oklahomans the opportunity to decide whether to keep or remove three state Supreme Court justices and other appeals court judges, approve or reject two state questions, and fill several other federal offices and state.

The judicial retention race has become particularly heated, with dark money groups campaigning for and against the retention of Supreme Court Justices James Edmondson, Noma Gurich and Yvonne Kauger.

Family members Duffie Holt, 62, and Leo Holt, 64, cast their ballots at a church near Belle Isle, across the street from Oklahoma City Fire Department Station 17. The Holts said they would vote to keep the judges, especially the subordinates. a democratic governor.

Thomas, who voted a straight Democratic ticket, also voted to keep judges on the ballot.

“I’m concerned that they’ve made it political,” Thomas said. “I think people should research judges.”

Matthews said the state and local nominations are also important to him.

“I think it starts at the local level, and if you really want to make a change, you have to vote locally,” he said.