In this special edition of Her Campus’s Dorm Diaries series, Gen Zers from across the country share their experiences on Election Day 2024. You can read more Election Day Diaries here.
My name is Emilia Cafiso, and I am a New York native majoring in fashion business at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). After living in Portland, Oregon, since 2019, I returned to New York this year for college, just in time to vote in my first election.
I remember January 20, 2017, like it was yesterday — my 5th-grade class counting down to the moment former President Donald Trump was sworn in, my runny nose dribbling onto my upper lip, and the cries of the kids around me on the itchy rainbow carpet. Four-ish years later and two months into an online freshman year, I cried tears of joy, isolated in my room, when President Biden won.
Now, as I reflect on these memories after casting my ballot for Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz two weeks ago, I feel a familiar sense of unrest.
FIT is just four blocks away from Madison Square Garden, the stadium where Trump held his hate-filled rally on Oct. 27. Many of my peers regularly travel into the city for class via Penn Station, the train hall connected to Madison Square. Hundreds of FIT students arrived on campus that Sunday night shell-shocked from Trump and his supporters’ blatantly xenophobic rhetoric.
I’m frightened of what will happen if Trump is elected the 47th president of the United States. I just hope the rest of the nation agrees.
8:00 a.m.: Wake Up
I woke to my blaring alarm clock. Today’s the day! There’s nothing like the smell of election in the morning.
8:15 a.m.: Wander All Over Midtown to Forget about What’s Happening Tonight
I love living in Chelsea and try to take advantage of all the area has to offer. Today, I walked from 27th and 7th to 36th and 11th and back down again. Walking always helps to take my mind off the stress of school or, in this case, the impending election results.
On my way back, I passed several polling places, including my old elementary school (shout out P.S. 33!), a housing development, and a church. Each had several signs advertising themselves, including these cool stickers leading the way. People in the dozens were already going inside to cast their ballots.
9:00 a.m.: Get Ready for the Day
I returned to my dorm to shower, get dressed, and do my hair and makeup. Since Oregon only uses mail-in voting, I couldn’t get an “I Voted” sticker. However, a friend from Long Island picked up a couple of extra stickers at her polling place. Thanks, Morgan!
10:00 a.m.: Grab Breakfast with Julia
I ran over to the dining hall to meet my friend Julia. FIT is predominantly liberal, so it’s easy to find someone with the same political values as me. Julia and I had a great conversation about how even though New York is a blue state, it’s still super important for us to vote. We also talked about how she ran into Jack Schlossberg at the Target a couple blocks away!
11:30 a.m.: Drop Off a Package at the Post Office For My Mom
On the way to the post office, I discovered that FIT has a polling place! Located in the Art and Design college, I was surprised to see very little activity outside of it. The only people out front were volunteers handing out flyers on steps to take after voting.
12:00 P.m.: Work on the Highline
I had time to kill, so I walked a few blocks to the High Line and finished a few assignments on the formerly-abandoned-railroad-turned-blooming-tourist-attraction.
1:00 P.M.: Her Campus meeting!
Back at school, I met with my Her Campus chapter to discuss upcoming articles and events. An ambassador from Pentel brought journals and craft supplies, so we spent most of the hour decorating and writing. I always have a great time with my fellow journalists. Go Her Campus!
2:00 P.M.: Eat lunch at the dining hall
After a great meeting, I went back to the dining hall to get a California roll, a side salad, and two chocolate chip cookies.
3:00 P.M.: Work at The Style Shop
FIT is home to one of the nation’s few entirely student-run clothing and accessory stores. As a member of the FIT Merchandising Society, I work in the shop for an hour every week. My shift tends to be pretty slow, so I spent the majority of the time talking with Sam and Della. I also bought a sweater and a few FIT-branded stickers for my laptop (not pictured).
5:15 P.m.: Dorm room haircut (from a friend)
Before enrolling in FIT, my friend Sophia went to cosmetology school, so I asked her if she could give me a little trim before tonight’s chaos. My hair was looking too mullet-y in the back! Her roommate turned on NBC News at 6:20, and we packed in around the TV while feasting on chopped veggies, toasted baguette, and pesto burrata. While trying to open a lint roller with a pair of scissors, I sliced through my left pointer finger. (I don’t know what I was thinking.) Sophia ran up to my dorm and grabbed a first-aid kit while our friend Tahni applied pressure to my finger.
6:45 P.M.: Grab pizza
After bandaging up my finger, I went back up to my dorm, switched out of my hair-covered t-shirt, and grabbed my school bag. I walked the three blocks to a dollar slice place, and as I opened the door, a cheese pie slid out of the oven. The guys at the counter joked they had made it for me. While walking back, I noticed the energy in Chelsea was incredibly tense. People were speed-walking down the street, couples held each other tightly, and cars honked like there was no tomorrow. For many of us, there might not be.
7:00 p.m.: Walk Over to My Friend’s Watch Party
I arrived at Adina, Morgan, and Izzy’s dorm two minutes before polls closed in seven states. Izzy quickly pulled up NBC News’ election livestream on her computer while we opened the pizza box and crowded around the dining room table. My friends and I nodded in expectance as Kentucky and Indiana were called for former President Trump, and celebrated the small victory of Vermont being called for Vice President Harris. Adina was stuck in her textiles class, so we were all texting with her in a group chat while she “stared at fabric swatches.”
7:30 p.m.: Polls start to Close Nationwide
NBC called West Virginia for Trump, and Morgan said it made sense. I agreed.
8:00 p.m.: Polls Close in Several Key Swing States
Izzy left for swim practice right before NBC News called Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Florida for former President Donald Trump. Harris won Maryland, Connecticut, and Massachusetts as Mya ended a FaceTime call with her mom and opened the door to the dorm. Throughout the first few hours, the polls experienced what experts call “the red mirage.” Rural counties tend to lean more conservative but have smaller populations, meaning they are counted much quicker than higher-populated, liberal counties. While a Republican candidate may have a significant lead, a Democrat candidate still has a good chance of catching up as the night goes on. My friends and I knew this, but we were still anxiously watching the first few hours of election coverage.
8:30 p.m.: Watch Party Bonding Time
The watch party began a tradition of holding each other’s hands whenever NBC announced an “election alert” or a “prediction update.” When New Jersey, Delaware, and Illinois were called for Harris, we rejoiced and passed out another round of pizza slices.
9:00 p.m.: NBC Called Several More States
Adina escaped her class and ran back into the dorm just before NBC called New York for Harris. The entire dorm chanted, “New York! New York! New York!” I expected the state to remain blue, despite Trump’s claims at his rally at Madison Square Garden that he would turn New York red.
NBC calling Lousiana for Trump was no surprise. My mom and aunt were raised in New Orleans, and I plan to fly there for Thanksgiving. Nevertheless, it hurt.
Adina remarked that it was embarrassing that Trump had only won by a nine-point margin in Senator J.D. Vance’s home state when the Associated Press (AP) predicted that he had claimed Ohio’s 17 electoral votes. I chowed down another slice of pizza.
9:30 p.m.: New York Votes to Protect Abortion Rights
New York was one of the few states that had a proposition on the ballot to enshrine LGBTQ+ rights and abortion rights in the state constitution, and it passed! I wasn’t surprised by this either, but a win is a win!
10:00 p.m.: Expected Predictions come from NBC
As the night went on, states like Mississippi, Texas, Ohio, Kansas, and Utah were called in favor of former President Donald Trump. We expected them to go red. My friends and I remained optimistic.
My dad called me a few times throughout the watch party, primarily to check in on me. Although, once, he did need the password for an old computer of mine.
10:53 p.m.: FaceTime a Friend
Drew, a friend of mine from high school, called me close to 11 p.m. to talk about the election. Now a biology major at the University of Washington, we call at least once a week and debate the most random topics, from the dating scene in our respective cities to the Buldak Ramen mascot. However, our discussion tonight took a more serious turn. At one point, Drew pulled out a calculator and began to tally the electoral votes Harris would need to win to beat Trump.
11:00 p.m.: The Pacific Northwest goes Blue
Polling stations in Washington, Oregon, and California closed an hour before midnight and were all almost immediately called for Harris. Drew had joked earlier in the evening that Oregon would make an unexpected switch to voting red, and honestly, I believed him for a second! I’m glad that my gullibility wasn’t rooted in reality. Morgan then popped a batch of chocolate chip cookies into the oven, reminding me of when my mom would bake in the Oregon winter.
Midnight: Losing Hope
Hawaii went blue. A few more states went red. A few people went to bed, deciding to wake up to the results. The hope drained from the room.
12:30 a.m.: Head Back to My Dorm
I decided to go back to my dorm a little after midnight because I had a 9 a.m. class the next day. I packed up my things but kept my computer open, playing the NBC livestream. Just as I was about to leave, Trump won Georgia. I walked back into the dorm and hugged Izzy for a few minutes.
My computer disconnected from the WiFi on the way back. When I got back on, the first thing that popped up on my screen was that the GOP had won the Senate majority.
I changed into sweatpants, then continued to watch the live stream.
1:00 a.m.: Waiting
I hopped back on a FaceTime call with Drew. I refreshed the AP Election Updates page every ten seconds.
2:24 a.m.: Trump Prepares To Win
The AP called Pennsylvania for Trump. In West Palm Beach, Florida, thousands of supporters gathered to watch Trump declare victory.
I cried while my roommate held my sobbing body in her arms.
4:20 a.m.: Next Steps
I have to wake up in three hours for class, where I’ll take a midterm and give a group presentation.
My whole body is in shock. I don’t know how to feel.
I wrote earlier that I hoped the rest of the nation would feel just as frightened as I do of Trump becoming the 47th president of the United States.
They don’t.
What do we do now?