I watched in fear as Trump took my state for the GOP

As election day in North Carolina came to its final moments, voters sat close to their television screens and phones alike waiting to see which way the swing states would turn this election cycle. I was one of them.

- LAUREN BULLA

For me – plus many of my friends and family – this result has brought with it a whole new level of fear and dismay. We were the first swing state to go; the first to watch Donald Trump turn us red all over again. Despite our democratic governor, attorney general Josh Stein, taking the seat – Republicans claimed the state. The margin was razor-thin, but ultimately it wasn’t enough. The question we’re all left asking now is: why?

I have some idea of the answers. We’ve had unimaginable heartache in the region this year. The aftermath of the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene still lingers. At the same time, due to the lack of aid presented by federal programmes like Fema, voters were not only in some cases discouraged – but also unable, physically, to get to polling boxes. Just weeks ago, in Asheville – my college city – entire neighbourhoods, businesses, buildings and highway systems were completely erased by floods; and hundreds of thousands of people were left without electricity, food or access to running water.