WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — On Tuesday, they voted in waves, setting records for turnout in some Upper Valley towns.
On Wednesday, they grappled with continued political tension about the future of the country and who will occupy the White House.
“I’m trying to stay busy,” Lyme resident Robin Taylor, who voted for Democrat Joe Biden, said Wednesday morning. He added that it’s difficult because he’s worried about how the remainder of the ballot-counting process will go. “There’s a level of disorganization and chaos from the top, down.”
Taylor said he worried about the country’s “leadership attacking the democratic model.”
And he wasn’t alone in his feelings of unease over the outcome of the election.
Throughout the day, many residents around the Upper Valley said they have been watching the ongoing counts from other states that will determine whether Biden or President Donald Trump wins 270 electoral votes.
Outside Patterson’s Grocery and Deli in Orford, some Trump supporters said they’re confident in the president’s ability to clinch re-election, but added that they’re also eager to know the outcome.
“I’m ready to know the results … why is it taking so long?” asked Orford resident Sally Cameron, who supports Trump but did not vote this year. She said she believed Trump would come out the victor.
Cameron also said she believes that any ballots returned after Election Day shouldn’t be counted. “If they weren’t in when they were supposed to be, just drop it.” (In fact, some key swing states count ballots that are received later as long as they are postmarked by Election Day.)
Orford resident Tom Schwarz agreed, adding that he supports the idea of mail-in voting, but that ballots coming in after the polls close shouldn’t count, a gambit pushed by Trump in recent weeks. Like Cameron, he said he’s confident in a Trump win.
At a vigil on the Lyman Bridge carrying Route 4 between White River Junction and West Lebanon, about 15 people gathered Wednesday afternoon and voiced fears about Trump’s early-morning speech and tweets claiming victory, as well as worries that he would try to prevent all absentee votes from being counted.
“I don’t understand how anyone can object to counting all the votes, since that’s what we do on Election Day,” said Wilder resident Bob Cierna, who carried a sign that said “count all votes.”
Reading, Vt., resident Anne Pratt said she already had concerns that Trump’s campaign would question the validity of absentee ballots.
“I knew that if it was not a landslide — or even if it was — the president would make noise about mail-ins,” Pratt said, adding that she was scared Trump would “take the election” and was worried about “civil unrest.” Ultimately, she said she was scared of another four years of a Trump administration.
“I feel dismay that so many people think what he’s doing is OK.”
The tense atmosphere follows an Election Day that saw a significant voter turnout in many Upper Valley towns, including Lebanon where the 71% turnout rose four percentage points from 2016. The same was true in Royalton, where the estimated 75% turnout was around an eight-percentage-point increase from the previous presidential election.
Both towns saw a record number of absentee ballots this year.
“We’re a mixed group. … I think that brought people out,” said Royalton Town Clerk Karmen Bascom. “People care about how the government is run.”
For some, the lengthy ballot-counting process is just another — nearly final — step in an arduous election year.
“I’m just glad it’s over,” said Orford resident Jamie Mack, who declined to discuss his vote, but added that he thinks Biden is likely to win. “The sun is going to come up tomorrow either way.”
Anna Merriman can be reached at amerriman@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.