Flipping the Script: Swing States in the Election

In recent elections, America has become so politically polarized that the number of swing states have dwindled; only seven states in this year’s election were thought to be contestable by either party, while the rest were already safely predicted. Three HRS alumni in the swing states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Georgia provided their experiences.

Notably, every swing-state alumni reflected that the red and blue areas were still largely segregated. In Wisconsin, alumni Everett Villiger comments that during the lead-up to Election Day, both candidates held numerous rallies in the state. However, rallies for the Harris campaign were all held in major cities, such as Madison, whereas “multiple rallies” for Donald Trump took place in more rural, isolated areas—“just in the middle of nowhere,” recalls Villiger.

Pennsylvania was similarly divided, particularly in one of the state’s most contested swing counties. “Even though the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania voted blue,” explains Marina Nikolic, a Franklin & Marshall College student, “the greater county was red.” 

Georgia was the same. Hailey Jones, a student at Spelman College in Atlanta, explained that while the area surrounding her is liberal, much of the state remains conservative. “There’s a lot of political tension when you leave the metropolitan area,” she said. “Outside of Atlanta, you see Trump signs everywhere and encounter generally conservative viewpoints.”

Additionally, Nikolic reported being bombarded by political campaigning in the weeks leading up to the election. “About a month before the election,” she recalled, “a bunch of guys showed up in kilts and bagpipes protesting abortion—just in front of my dorm.” Nikolic added, “Me and probably a dozen other people set up a counter-protest, and significantly more people honked for us than for them.” 

Nikolic’s experience highlights the heightened political tension leading up to the election. However, the voting experience itself varied significantly across states. In Wisconsin, for example, Villiger observed that several organizations worked to encourage voter turnout, regardless of party affiliation. Jones echoed this sentiment, sharing her experience of increased access: “All of our professors made sure we voted, even offering rides to the polls if we needed them.”

In contrast, voting authorities in Pennsylvania impeded left-leaning college voters. Nikolic, noting that “Franklin & Marshall students are known to vote blue,” reveals that local officials and county representatives misled students, telling them, “‘Sorry, we’re not accepting registrations; you can’t vote.’”

The alumni reflected on their interactions with students of opposing political views. Nikolic explained that a typical interaction with someone who supports Trump’s policies often “spirals into racism and misogyny,” before “they use the economy as a scapegoat.” She also noted they tended to say, “It’s a country’s right to lock down their border.” In her view, it boils down to the fact that “both sides refuse to understand where the other is coming from.”

Instead of engaging in political debate, Villiger says, “I often try to find solid middle ground between us, because often they might be more conservative, but at the end of the day, they’re not crazy. … If they’re generally a good person, I can choose to [say], ‘We can agree to disagree on this.’”

For Nikolic, political tensions were especially palpable at the in-person voting locations. She shares, “directly before you entered the building, there were a bunch of pro-Trump people that got there at an outrageous time in the morning to sit there all day. … And they had signs that said, … ‘Bob Casey missing, we need to replace him,’ and, ‘Have you seen this man?’”

Given the polarity in American politics shows no signs of abating, it is safe to say that swing states will be deciding elections for many years to come.