Santa Monica has not been sheltered from the most anxiety-ridden day to hit America in years, as both the nerves and excitement were palpable at polling places for the Tuesday election.
Santa Monica’s Election Day saw elongated lines at multiple sites as voters cast ballots in local, state and national elections. There were a total of six voting centers in Santa Monica to choose from, including lines ranging from 50-70 people deep at Lincoln Middle School and Santa Monica College (SMC) in the late morning hours.
For the local races, candidates in the Santa Monica City Council race were seen helping voters with information, including Unity Slate candidate Dan Hall at Lincoln and Safer Santa Monica candidate John Putnam at SMC’s main campus.
On Tuesday evening, the Unity Slate of Hall, Natalya Zernitskaya, Barry Snell and Ellis Raskin held an election party at Santa Monica Brew Works as soon as polls closed. The Safer Santa Monica Slate of Putnam, Vivian A. Roknian, Councilmember Oscar de la Torre and Mayor Phil Brock held its own soiree at Margo’s at 16th and Montana Ave.
The SMC campus’ Cayton Center Faculty Lounge was the site of voting at the school, but much of the action was outside in a quad area, with a group of students conducting a Pro-Palestinian protest. The leader of the student group refused a statement to the Daily Press, with another member stating they were just "students who care" about the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict which has turned into a massive issue for Generation Z voters.
With the race for SMC Board taken off the ballot, and the lone challenger for School Board, Christine Falaguerra, withdrawing her candidacy; voters had more time to pay attention to local and state ballot measures. Local early voter Brian Hires said voting for local Measure QS (the Santa Monica school improvement bond) and state Proposition 33 were his top concerns, particularly voting for the latter that would repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act of 1995.
"I would say the ability and freedom for rent control, that was my biggest (concern) because we should all be able to have flexibility with our rent as prices continue to go up," Hires said. "I just thought it would be (for) the best."
Dropping off his ballot on Oct. 22, Hires was thankful for living in an area where the task only took a handful of minutes.
"I thought it was more accessible, and also, it was easier with my schedule … I just voted ahead of time because I had the time to do it, it gave me time to think about my vote," Hires added.
Though vote-by-mail numbers won’t be as astronomical as the 2020 General Election (3.42 million in Los Angeles County), local voters still like having the reassurance of knowledge alongside them as they vote.
"With all the props and judges I usually know nothing about, the mail-in ballot allows me to treat it like an open-book test, and then once it was filled out, it was making me anxious to have it around," early voter Heather Maggi said. "I had the time to drop it off and it was a lovely day for a walk."
Anxiety has been the election buzzword this year, with a May poll done by the American Psychiatric Association finding that 73% of United States adults were feeling anxious about this year’s elections. To help manage stress of SMC students, mental health practice Octave sent a street team to the campus to provide support and resources.
The team took part in a "ballot box breathing" exercise with voters, a therapist-approved technique to reduce present stress.
"The election can raise concerns about the future, causing uncertainty, stress and anxiety," Octave Head of Clinical Care Golee Abrishami, PhD told the Daily Press. "It can also increase the likelihood of uncomfortable conversations, which can impact relationships."
Abrishami added that "being intentional and actively engaged with yourself" can help manage the stress, while Hires said on a personal level that he is "doing anything" he can to avoid election news.
"Whether that’s not being on my phone as much, going out for a walk, having conversations about it with other people that are on the same page as you, I think is helpful too," Hires said.
Election results will be updated on the Daily Press website throughout Wednesday.
